Possible Pregnancies
by Thomas Linquist
Summary: Suggested from a thread in Zaratan's Kim Possible Discussion forum. Kim and her mother both defy the odds and become pregnant. Hormones, heroics and hilarity ensue. Genre changed, since the story has gone in new directions.
1. Announcements

The standard disclaimer applies. They own it, I want it.

With great thanks to my wife, my beta and his girlfriend, and my (adopted by me) little sisters. Most especially, with love to all of the moms out there.

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**Announcements**

Middleton Memorial Hospital was a madhouse. The press were everywhere, and the police department had to keep guards at all of the entrances. Orderlies were as busy reinforcing the security teams as they were at the usual chores of shuffling patients and changing beds. All of the activity was centered around the maternity ward. Far away from the noise and confusion, Kimberly Anne Stoppable was holding her newborn daughter, her adoring husband of under a year hovering over them.

As if that weren't enough excitement, eminent brain surgeon Anne Possible was also housed in the same ward, having just delivered of a little girl. Her husband, James, was torn between his wife's bedside and that of his daughter.

Nine Months Earlier

University life had gone by in a blur for Kim Possible and her best friend, turned boyfriend, Ron Stoppable. Between lectures, projects, missions and dates, the four years since the invasion of the Lowardians had seemed but a moment. In all of that time, the two young people had managed to maintain a relationship based on friendship, trust and a love that went beyond anything most people their age ever experienced.

At a time when most young adults were beginning to experiment with their sexuality, Kim and Ron remained platonic. They wanted things to be just right when the moment came. Sure, they often wound up sharing the same bed, after long nights of studying, or coming home from a mission. Ron would put a protective arm around Kim's shoulders, and she would snuggle down into his torso. Sleeping together always managed to be more refreshing than going to their separate apartments.

Just after graduation, Team Possible had been out on a very dangerous mission. Global Justice had requested that they infiltrate a suspected terrorist training compound. They had jumped in from a high flying cargo plane, landing several kilometres from the camp. As they were sneaking around the edges, one of the terrorists-in-training actually managed to spot them. Before Ron managed to knock him out, the alarm had been sounded.

Bullets pounded the ground around the pair as they ran farther into the forest. One managed to graze Kim's calf, and another found its way just across Ron's upper arm. They had hit the panic button on Kim's kimmuinicator, and been lifted out. Global Justice had retaliated with full force, along with the local military.

When they got back to Kim's apartment in Upperton, Ron had helped her limp into the bathroom. They both showered, and took turns redressing each other's wounds. As Ron sat on the edge of the bed, Kim finished applying the tape.

"That was too close, Ron. When I thought that shot had gotten you, I just didn't want to keep running. Better if they had caught me..." Kim sobbed and leaned into his chest. They had faced all kinds of dangers, both man-made and natural. How long before one sitch or another claimed the man that she loved?

"KP, it's alright. They didn't get us. When that bullet hit you, I was getting ready to turn around and call on all of the Mystical Monkey Power. What I would have done would have been murder. I don't ever want to lose you." He pulled her even tighter against him. Once, many years ago, he had promised Kim's mother that he would die before letting her get hurt on these missions. All this time, he had kept that pledge.

Kim looked up into her boyfriend's warm brown eyes. Her emerald ones shone with a light and a passion that had been held so long in check. As her chin tilted up, Ron took it in one large, gentle hand and raised her lips to his own. Her arms snaked around his neck, her fingers running through the unruly blond hair, still damp from his shower. She closed her eyes, her tongue hungrily seeking his. When he opened his mouth, she sighed deeply.

Ron slowly pushed the robe off of Kim's shoulders, exposing the exquisite flesh beneath. He traced fiery kisses from her lips, down her neck and to the hollows of her shoulders, breathing in the strawberry and vanilla scent of her auburn hair. As he continued to kiss her, his hands ran up and down her arms. Each touch sent shivers up her spine.

As one, they lay back onto the bed. Considerate of one another's injuries, they held each other tightly, as if afraid to let go. Hands explored each other's bodies, seeking centers of pleasure. When Ron placed his hands on the belt of her robe, he stopped.

"Kim, I..." He looked deep into her eyes. "I want to be with you, now. I came so close to losing you today. I love you, Kimberly Anne Possible." For all his need, he was ready to stop, to let her choose if this was to be the time for them to complete the bond that had begun to form so many years ago. His love for her went so far beyond the physical.

In turn, Kim placed her hand over his on the belt. "I have loved you, Ronald Dean Stoppable, longer than I even knew myself." Slowly, they opened her robe together. "I want to be with you, now, and forever." Her robe fell open, and she reached for the belt on his, and both fell to the floor.

As the sun streamed into the room, Kim opened her eyes slowly. Her head was resting in the hollow of her lover's shoulder, her hair streaming over his arm and down along his side. She looked up to his face, and lay there, just drinking in the sight of the man she knew was her destiny. As she watched, his eyes fluttered open.

Ron looked down into the deep green pools that were his own glimpse of what must surely be heaven. Memories of the previous night caused him to catch his breath once more. This was it, what twenty years of his life had been leading to. Now that he was here, it was time, time to make this relationship everything that he had dreamed of since that night in the Middleton High School gym.

"KP, Kim, I love you. I want to wake up this way, to you, every day for the rest of my life." He smiled his trademark goofy grin. "I know I'm supposed to be doing this on bended knee and all, and I don't even have a ring for you. What the heck! Kim Possible, will you marry me?"

The instant Ron had smiled at her, she hadn't a chance. Her heart melted from the first words that he spoke to her that morning. With tears in her eyes, she nodded and sobbed, "Yes, Ron Stoppable. I want to wake up to the sight of you every day for the rest of my life. I want to be Mrs. Kim Stoppable."

Meanwhile, back in Middleton

Anne Possible slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the light that filtered through the shades on the windows of the master bedroom of the new house on the outskirts of Middleton. Her right leg was entwined in those of the man who shared her bed, her heart and her soul. She looked into the face of her husband, only to find that his eyes were already fixed on hers.

"Good morning, Mrs. Possible. How is the angel that heaven graced me with today?" He gave her the most dazzling smile. His free hand (the right one always being securely placed under her shoulders in a tight hug) reached over and brushed back a lock of deep red hair. It was the color of a fine burgundy wine, that hair, and the scent was the most exhilarating thing in the world. What a privilege to be able to wake up each day to this exquisite woman.

Four years ago, James and Anne Possible had designed and built this new colonial style home. The split level contemporary house they had raised their three children in had been destroyed by the invasion of the Lowardians. In that time, they had made this a true home, filled with love. Everyone that had been part of the Possible's lives was welcome under this roof. The Stoppables were frequent visitors, as well as Monique, Wade and various of Kim's school friends. Even when Kim and Ron weren't there.

The previous night had actually been the fourth anniversary of the house-warming party. They had celebrated with friends and family, with the exception of Kim and her boyfriend. Wade had called to apologize for them, but they were needed for a mission involving national security.

As the last of the guests had left, and the twins (now finished their senior year of high school) had gone over to friends for the night, Anne and James had gone to their room for a private celebration of their own.

James had pulled his wife to him, and begun kissing the sensitive little spot just behind her right ear. He had discovered this shortly after they had been married. It never failed to send tingles through this woman. She had moaned, deep in her throat, and pulled him toward the bed by his tie. Her hair smelled of strawberries and vanilla. What was that shampoo?

Clothes began to pile up on the floor around the huge bed. Years together had taught them the best ways to please each other. They began to tease, and then to bring each other to the height of passion, as only a couple so very much in love could do. After the magnificent release, they had lay together and nuzzled, until falling into a satisfied sleep.

Three Weeks Later

Kim and Ron stood on the doorstep of the Possible residence in Middleton. They were both shuffling their feet and giving each other nervous glances. She played with the diamond ring on her finger. Both of their parents were waiting beyond the door. Now it was time to break the news, and while the engagement would surely be welcome, the second piece of information just might have less than pleasant consequences.

The young couple had gone to the most expensive jewelry store the morning after Ron's proposal. They had sat in the manager's office for a time, while he brought in tray after tray of lovely stones for them to choose from. Being world heroes certainly had its benefits. They were treated like royalty, with staff pointing out the ring styles that had been most popular with young brides in recent years.

Rufus had popped up out of Ron's pocket, and, grabbing the jewelers loupe, examined each of the stones. Every now and then, he would show one to Kim, and nod, then add it to a selection of possibilities. Finally, one sales associate pulled out a small but extremely clear white diamond out of a tiny velvet pouch. All three of the shoppers gasped at the clarity and detailed cut.

"That's it, Ron! That's the stone!" Kim was practically bouncing in her seat. She reached into her purse and pulled out a photo. It had obviously been there for some time. It showed a close up picture of a young Anne Possible, her engagement ring displayed prominently. "If you can duplicate this gold setting, I would be so happy."

"Is that what you want, KP? You're sure?" Ron looked at his fiancee and his look told her that all she had to do was say the magic words.

"Please and thank you."

"Well, that's it folks. We have a decision."

When they had gone to pick up the ring ten days later, (It's amazing how fast things can get done if you start spreading money around. And being world famous doesn't hurt either.) Kim was feeling a little under the weather. She had made a stop at the clinic on campus at Upperton University. The doctors hadn't gotten the official results back yet, but a home pregnancy test had confirmed Kim and Ron's suspicions.

Now they stood before the door, wondering if maybe Mr. Possible was still holding a seat on a space probe headed for a black hole. Mrs. Stoppable, a very conservative woman, was going to have five kinds of a fit when they dropped this little bomb shell. All of the time they had been dating, only a few times had they been so nervous confronting their parents with evidence of their feelings for each other. It was a standing joke about how deeply Kim would blush if they so much as saw them kissing.

Things were just as nerve wracking on the other side of the door.

Anne was pacing back and forth in the kitchen. James and the Stoppables were sitting at the table, trying to get her to calm down. So far, it just wasn't working. With each turn, she just got more and more nervous.

"How do I tell my adult daughter that she is going to have a new baby brother or sister? All of the time that I spent lecturing her on responsibility, and being perpared." Now she flopped down into a chair at the table, where her coffee had gotten cold. That was going to be another shock to the system. No more coffee first thing in the morning. No more after dinner coffee and cake. So many things were about to change. At least Kimmie was sensible and predictable. She would help her to adapt.

At that moment, Kim and Ron walked in. There was plenty of hugging all around. As James was letting go of his daughter, his sharp eye caught the gleam from her left hand. He grabbed it as she was in the process of stepping back from him.

"What's this? My Kimmie-cub is engaged, and she didn't tell us! Ronald Dean Stoppable, you've got a lot to answer for." He advanced on the younger man in a threatening manner.

"Um, Mr. and Mrs. Dr. P... Uh, Mr. and Mrs. Possible, Kim and I want to ask for your blessing, and that of my mother and father. You know how much we love each other, and a recent mission has made us aware that time isn't exactly standing still, if you know what I mean." Ron looked steadily into James Possible's eyes. "You have been family to me forever. I just want the paper work that says it is so." He walked over to his parents, and took his mother's hand in one of his own, his father's in the other. "We all knew this was going to come up one day, and I know you've had your reservations about this relationship, Mom. I love her, and need to be with her."

He walked back and put his arm over Kim's shoulders, pulling him to her.

"We would be proud to have you as our son-in-law, Ron. You promised to be there for our little girl, and you kept that promise." No one knew better than Anne Possible just what that promise had cost the young man. As Team Possible's emergency medic, she had treated a lot of his injuries, ones that he had made her swear never to tell anyone about. Ever since the night of the junior prom, she had been waiting for this day to come.

For it to happen when she had such exciting news of her own...

James walked over and shook Ron's free hand. "Welcome to the family, officially, son. Like you said, this has been a long time coming. Even the threat of space probes and black holes weren't going to prevent it." He chuckled lightly. "I guess I should call the center and tell them to scrap the seat in the BH3600."

Jean Stoppable had been looking quite intently at the young couple while all of this had been going on. Now she stood up and put her hands on her hips, a very stern expression crossed her face and stayed there. She looked each of them in the face.

'Oh, God,' thought Kim. 'she knows. I don't know how, but she's figured out the other half of this announcement.'

'Man, this is where we get it.' Ron moaned inwardly. 'Why did I ever think we could get this past my mother?'

"And does this decision have anything to do with the fact that Anne and I are about to become grandmothers?" The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. From six blocks away. "Take a good look at her, Anne. When was the last time you saw that kind of glow on a young woman?"

"Ronald, you've got some 'splainin' to do!" cried James in a very poor imitation of Ricky Ricardo.

"Kim, I thought you were using protection. You swore to me that you and Ronald had never..."

"I was using protection, Mom. The doctor at the clinic figures that it was just one of those rare cases where it failed. We didn't plan this, Mrs. Stoppable. I swear!" Kim got a pleading look in her eyes. Here she stood before the two women who meant the most to her and the man she loved. "When we got back from this last mission, we just realized how close we'd come to losing each other, again. Ron proposed to me that morning."

Gene looked from one woman to another, and finally sighed. "Well, I guess we will just have to move quickly with the wedding. Unless you want to get an extra large wedding gown that is." He looked over at Anne and grinned. "Besides, I don't think the lecture about unplanned pregnancies comes off too well from a woman who is looking at having her fourth child."

"Mom, you're..."

"That's right, Kimmie. In just over eight months, you and your brothers will be welcoming a new sibling. We've already told Tim and Jim. I just couldn't figure out how to break the news to you." She walked over to Kim and hugged her once more. "Believe me, I didn't think it was going to happen either, at my age, but Dr. Gruberman says that my general health delayed any sign of 'the change'."

James looked around the room. By now all of the women were glowing, even the one who couldn't have a child. Ron was just looking flabbergasted, and Gene was still grinning like the Cheshire cat. This was getting to be a little bit too much for him, and he resumed his seat. If he thought that he had been busy those first few months that the center had been examining the Lowardian tech, now he was really going to be up against it. Just how does one plan for a wedding and two births at the same time?


	2. Morning Sickness and the Cure for Insomn

Usual disclaimer note: So don't own the rights, so want them, so dealing with it.

I want to thank my wife, my mother and my beta for reading this, making suggestions where the were needed. Much of this was written in my spare time while I was away from home.

This chapter comes with a warning. The romantic sap is a little thick. Those on sugar reduced diets should reach for their insulin now, please and thank you.

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**Morning Sickness and the Cure for Insomnia**

Plans were indeed rushed for the Stoppable-Possible wedding. With a window of only a few months, there were decisions to be made, compromises to be worked out, and deadlines to be met. No sooner had Kim moved into the bedroom set aside for her at the new house in Middleton, than the world became a blur of fabrics, flowers and food samples. All of the girls from the old cheer squad days were dying to be a part of the big day, and nobody pulled punches with their opinions.

When it came to choosing a bridesmaid, it was no contest. Monique Jenkins was the go-to girl. From the day that they had met over the counter of Club Banana, it was BFF. Who else was Kim going to get to stand by her side on the most important day of her life? It helped that the woman was a fashion diva, and would be able to alter a gown to suitably hide the bride's "condition". Mrs. Possible was also counting on Monique's abilities in this regard. Clothing had to be made ready to alter, depending on how advanced her pregnancy was by the time of the ceremony.

It was in the middle of all of the planning that the less than pleasant symptoms of the Possible pregnancies began to make themselves apparent.

Promptly each morning, there was a mad dash for the bathrooms. It was not uncommon for James to be holding a cloth for his wife to use after being violently ill, and for Ron, who always managed to be there before Kim woke up, to be holding her long auburn hair out of the way. Fortunately, the guest room that she occupied had its own en suite bath.

After that first bout, Anne had begun doing some research through the hospital records, searching for the best available remedy. The pharmacuetical options were almost endless, but the potential side affects were a little unnerving to both women. Fortunately, there were a number of homeopathic and herbalist doctors on staff at Middleton Memorial Hospital. They had recommended an herbal tea, but it was taking time to have the desired affect. When that blessed day came, there would be sighs of relief all around.

After a particularly harrowing morning, Kim had turned to Ron (having rinsed her mouth out thoroughly) and suggested that the current arrangement wasn't working. "You know, I'd really feel better if you were right here with me. I mean, so that I could snuggle up to you when I can't sleep at night. You always manage to get here for this part, but I need you." She had put on her best puppy-dog-pout. While the weapon was devastating enough on its own, the hormonal changes she was experiencing made it deadly. Who needs sixteen kinds of kung fu?

"KP, I thought your dad was going to have me shot into space when we told them about your being pregnant. Can you imagine what will happen if we even mentioned the possibility of our sharing a bed under his roof?" He mimed an explosion. "There wouldn't be any roof."

In point of fact, all the while that he had been choosing his best man and the ushers from among his best male friends, Ron had been missing his KP cuddle. It was so much the usual end to the day, that the lack was most sorely felt.

"Let Mom and I work on Daddy. I think that the dangerous part of our being together is pretty much a moot point anyway." She patted her belly significantly.

Kim and Anne cornered Mr. Possible at supper that night. Ron had chosen to follow the proverb that discretion is the better part of valour, and hadn't strolled in the kitchen door just before supper, as was the tradition. That alone had confirmed James' suspicions that something was up. Anne had put together his favorite meal, and Kim had asked him about his day, not once interrupting his diatribe on the joys of rocket fuel chemistry.

Tim and Jim, like most teen boys, had been shovelling back copious amounts of food, oblivious to everything but the act of putting as much in their mouths as possible. They had been warned to vacate the premises at the appropriate time, but were only told that their father was likely to be less than happy.

When James had put down his fork for the last time, Anne looked over at the twins. "Don't you boys have a big date or something this evening."

"Date? I don't have a..." Tim began.

"date tonight." Jim finished.

Kim pointed at the door and scowled.

"Whoops, gotta go!", came from both boys simultaneously, and the napkins they had been holding both drifted to the table as both of them seemed to vanish.

"James, we need to talk. All three of us."

'Here it comes!', James thought to himself. 'Fire in the hole!'

"Kimmie is really not feeling well in the morning, and isn't sleeping too well at night either. I mean, you are always here to make me feel better, and you look after me so well." She put a little bit of a purr into her voice. "I don't know how I'd deal with my pregnancy if you were away on business or something."

"Daddy, I know it's hard for you to accept, but I'm having Ron's baby, and I need him here to help me. Please, Daddy." She put on the PDP again for her father, just as intensely as she had for Ron earlier in the day.

'Must not look!', James chanted to himself. 'Must not look!' In fact, he looked everywhere but at the women sitting at the table with him. In desperation he searched for the paper he had started reading at breakfast. Inevitably, he looked up, and was confronted by a puppy-dog-pout, in stereo. 'I knew she learned it from somewhere.' He sighed and took the only sane option. He rolled over and begged for mercy.

"Alright! Ron can move in over here. I guess he's family now for good, and the deed has already been done. Just don't expect me to be happy about it." With all of his might, James tried to look as surly as he could. It didn't work. If they hadn't come to him by morning, he was going to drive over and just pick up all of Ronald's clothes himself, and move him into his daughter's room.

He'd been watching his Kimmie-cub, looking in on her when she did finally get to sleep. She tossed and turned all night, clutching her Pandaroo for dear life. Ron had given the plush to her when they were thirteen, and she was in a depressed mood. She needed to hold the real thing now. Anne was right, that a pregnant woman needed the man she loved, even if all he could do was cuddle her at night and hold her hair back in the morning.

Anne and Kim assaulted him from either side, so that both cheeks wound up with smears of the same shade of lip gloss. Kim ran for the phone, to tell her love the verdict. As his wife was reaching for the keys to her car, James put a hand over hers.

"No, I'm going to go and get him, dear. Ronald and I are going to have a little... talk, before we get here. We shouldn't be too long."

While the Possible women had been working on his future father-in-law, Ron was having his own confrontation over the issue.

"Look, Mom, I can understand why you are upset with me. You brought me up to see this as something to come after marriage. I just didn't want to miss showing Kim how much I love her, not when I've come so close to losing her forever. Would you have not felt the same way if Dad were killed before you were married?" He looked down into his mother's eyes, realizing for the first time just how much he now towered over her. 'I'm not your little boy anymore.' he thought. 'Time to cut the apron string.'

Jean looked up into her son's chocolate brown eyes, realizing that he was very much a man now, and wanting to take responsibility for his actions. Maybe that was the point. He was a man with a man's obligations, and that meant caring for the mother of his child. 'Where did my little boy go?' she asked herself.

Gene stood by his son's shoulder and placed a hand on it. "Ronald, while we cannot approve of your timing regarding our grandchild, we always knew that you would be leaving our nest for one that included Kimberly. Take your proper place now. We are proud of the man that you have become." Letting go of the shoulder, he hugged his son. 'I knew this day was coming, and thought I would be ready.' Letting go, he stepped back to his wife's side.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Ron hugged his parents and went out to the front hall, picking up the duffel bag that sat at the foot of the steps. He opened the front door, expecting either Kim or his future mother-in-law. What he saw was James Possible.

There was a squeal from the top of the stairs. "Uncle James!" Hana launched herself down the steps, barely touching a single tread. She leaped at the visitor. Ever since the day of the alien invasion, the Stoppables had been the closest thing to family, sheltering the homeless Possible clan for several nights. Now Hana just thought of them as family. She jumped up and was caught by an overjoyed James. It was like having his Kimmie-cub at four years old again.

That just brought him back to what he was here for.

Ron's parents came out from the kitchen. Jean hugged her good friend and Gene shook his hand firmly.

"Well," Gene began. "I guess this is the way it has to be. At least he's taking the responsibility like a proper man." He looked James in the eye, and winked outside of his son's line of sight. The two men had been discussing this moment for a couple of days now, and had decided that it shouldn't be too easy on the young man they both adored.

"Believe me, I'm trying hard not to think about it. All the same, if Ronald is going to father this child, he's going to have to start right now."

Ron just gulped a few times, and didn't say a word. From the looks of things, it was going to be a long time before Mr. Dr. P was going to be able to speak with him without some resentment in his voice. A PDP only went so far.

When Ron had deposited his bag in the trunk, James put an arm around his shoulder and steered him toward the street. "Let's take a walk, son. I want to talk with you for a bit."

The two men strolled slowly down the street, neither one saying anything. They came to an empty lot, all that remained of the original Possible home. As if with one mind, they turned to look at the parcel of land. Shared memories came unbidden, and both ambled across the ground. Every now and then, one of them would look at the other and smile a little.

James remembered the time that Ron had spent the better part of two weeks at an odd job, to buy Kim the cuddle buddy that she so cherished. He recalled how it was Ronald, and not Eric that had brought her home from the junior prom, a dreamy smile on her face. Then he saw, in his minds eye, all of the photos that had lined the walls of the house, of two young people growing up, never knowing until disaster struck that they were in love.

Ron remembered how Mr. Possible had welcomed him into his home without question. He had allowed him to sleep over with his daughter, long after most fathers would have put an end to such things. When the missions had started, he had trusted Ron with the most precious thing in the world to him, his daughter's very life. 'I wish I hadn't let you down, Mr. Dr. P.' he thought to himself. He looked down at his feet, and saw a small piece of the kitchen tile, the tile he had walked over a million times, just waltzing into the kitchen like he belonged there.

"Ronald...Ron, you have been as much a son to me as the twins have. Back when you and Kimmie were young, the week she got her braces, I knew that the two of you were going to wind up together." James looked around at walls that weren't there, at the steps to a loft that would never be climbed. "I knew that day that I was going to lose her, to you. What I didn't realize was that I wasn't losing her. I was getting more of you, and now, an extra bit of both of you."

Ron looked at James, and suddenly realized that they could see eye to eye.

"Son, I may not be too happy about the sequence of events, but I cannot think of anyone I would want to have as the father of my grandchildren more." He held out his hand to the younger man, and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for looking after my Kimberly, Ron." he whispered into one of the large ears he leaned into.

Letting his new son go, he turned from the land that represented the past, and looked toward the new house on the edge of Middleton. "Let's go home, son. Let's go home."

That night, James held his sleeping wife. He breathed in the sweet smell of strawberries and vanilla. He leaned in and kissed her on her cheek, and smiled when she pushed toward him in her sleep. Throwing back the covers, he got up and left the room. The doors to the boys' rooms were closed, and there was silence behind each. Farther down the hall, Mr. Possible came to the guest suite door. It was open a crack, and the light of the moon shone through.

Quietly pushing the door open a bit more, he peeked in at his daughter and her love. Ron was just in the act of brushing back the hair from Kim's cheek, breathing in the sweet smell of strawberries and vanilla. As he leaned in to kiss her cheek, he looked up and saw James. He paused.

James nodded at the young man, and Ron finished the gesture. A smile crept across the sleeping woman's face, and she settled more comfortably into the pillows beneath her head. Ron looked up and James saw him silently mouth the words "Thank you." Dr. James Possible shook his head and whispered, "No Ronald. Thank you."


	3. Changing Dynamics

Disclaimers: You know, we should really get t-shirts made up. Disney holds the rights to Kim Possible and all characters. I only own the characters of Ron Garvin and Leanne Barton, and them I borrowed from friends.

Acknowledgements: I just want to thank everyone who has been good enough to review and add insights into this story. Unlike many writers, I don't plan my stories in advace. I give the characters a place to start, and they take over. I would be in deep quano without the reviews that you leave me. Thank you all.

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**Changing Dynamics**

It was the end of June, and finally the morning sickness was under control. Now came the challenge of hormone induced mood swings and caffeine withdrawal. At two full months of pregnancy, both Anne and Kim were able to switch from tears to rages in microseconds. (This was verified by Jim and Tim, who had been forced to run for their lives when their mother and sibling caught them with the atomic stopwatch.) Having to give up coffee was killing both women, who had been hopelessly addicted to the stuff from the time they were in their mid teens.

Ron and James did their level best to support each other. This was all new territory to Ron, of course, but James was discovering that the first two rounds hadn't prepared him for this one. At one point, he suspected that Anne might well be carrying triplets this time. When he had foolishly suggested the possibility, he had been clouted on the head with the newspaper.

"Don't you even dare think it, James Possible! You are not touching me ever again!" Whack, whack, whack. "I'm sorry honey, it's not me, it's the hormones." She had a major swing and went into a full blown PDP.

Kim had suddenly gone ballistic on a mission. They had been chasing down one of Dementor's hired help, who, when cornered, decided to go on the offensive. He had managed to get in one good swipe at Kim's midsection. At first, she had been shocked, worried about what might have been the result. Then there was a blaze from her green eyes, and she had gone into a frenzy. Ron had actually had to pull her off of the unconscious man she was beating.

When they had gotten home, Ron had taken her immediately for an examination, which showed that the punch had not gotten past the new Kevlar layer of her mission suit. Wade had designed it to withstand slashes from knives and low velocity impacts. Still, she had cried for several hours that night.

"KP, I think we have to talk about the mission sitch." Ron put on his most serious face. Craddling his fiancee in his arms on the front porch of the house, he expressed his fears, for her, and their unborn child. "I know how much the work of Team Possible means to you, and I wouldn't think of taking that away from you. All the same, I think for now, it's best if you didn't do any of the heavy field work."

"I'm supposed to let you go out there by yourself? I almost lost you two months ago, Ron! I can't let you go on missions alone." Tears began to form in Kim's eyes and she looked at the floor boards. "I guess we should just tell Wade to shut the site down until we come up with an idea."

"You've already got the solution, Princess! Have you forgotten me already?" A familiar, sarcastic voice came from the walkway in front of them. Both looked up to see Sarah Go striding up the path. She was wearing a light green blouse and blue jeans. She had her old smirk back, without the vindictiveness that used to accompany it in the old days. Today, she was wearing her hair back from her face in a braid, just as she did when accompanying them on missions. "Remember, we are a team, and that means we cover for each other."

"Sarah!" Kim jumped up from the step she had been sitting on and ran to hug her friend.

"I gave her a call this afternoon, Kim. I hope you don't mind." Ron rubbed the back of his neck. He still hated making decisions for the team, even if it was more of a partnership than ever before.

"School is winding down, Kim. As long as nothing big comes up for two weeks, I can take on the heavy assignments. Isn't that what you had in mind when you asked the Board of Education to let me have time to assist Team Possible?" She held the younger girl off at arm's length. Running a critical eye over her friend, she dropped the smirk for a genuine smile. "You helped me make the long trip back, so I think it's time for me to return the favor. Besides, I'm bucking for the job of godmother."

All three laughed.

"You came up with the best solution, Ron. I just had hoped to not need Sarah too much before school was out."

"You took me in, literally out of the rain. Call me when you need me, you silly girl."

Ron got up off of the porch and walked over to the two women. He gave Sarah a warm hug. It was a far cry from the days when he was dodging plasma blast and running for cover. Ever since they had gone to free Kim and Drakken from the Lowardians, they had gotten to know and respect each other. Other than Ron accidentally letting it slip how hot he thought Sarah was at one time, they had become good friends, despite almost a decade difference in age.

"I think it's time we called a meeting." He reached into the pocket of the cargo shorts he was wearing. Pulling out his Kimmunicator (mark IV), he place a call to the Team Possible central command. It so happened that Wade was in the office, doing a little maintenance on his latest toy, a super mainframe computer, provided by the team's sponsor.

"Hi, Ron! What's up, I didn't expect to hear from you until the day after tomorrow."

"We're calling a full team meeting Wade. Get through to everyone and tell them we'll be getting together in the conference room tomorrow at ten. Assuming that's good with you ladies?" Ron looked from Kim to Sarah, raising a brow. When they simply nodded, he turned back to the image on his screen. "Ten it is, Wade."

"Okay, I'll start making the calls. Joss will be in town in a few minutes, and I was going to pick her up at the airport anyway." If it had been possible, he would have been blushing under the permanent tan. Being a black man had its advantages. He and Joss were still in the process of planning their own engagement, now that she had finished her PhD. studies.

Promptly at ten in the morning the next day, Kim and Ron walked into the conference room of Team Possible Central.

In the last four years, and with the backing of a very wealthy patron, everything had been moved out of Wade's home and into a converted warehouse in the industrial district of Middleton. The computer facilities were housed in the sub basement, along with an extensive lab for the development of new tools for the use of the team. On the main floor was a garage, with space for two large rescue trucks, a hover jet, and places for team members to park their personal vehicles.

The second floor was given over to an operations center. Now there was a staff of volunteers monitoring the Team Possible site. Under the direction of Felix Renton and Zita Flores, a number of people directed mission requests. Behind the monitor section were a complete kitchen, for the use of the staff, and shower and change facilities. Across the hall was Wade's computer center, which connected him to his electronic babies below. A large console in the middle of the room let him tap into any system, anywhere in the world. There was a large holoprojector pad on one side of the room, and monitors filled the other walls.

Next to that, was the conference room.

This room was the envy of corporations and government agencies the world over. A large oak table occupied the center of the room, surrounded by comfortable chairs. Lights in the ceiling provided illumination at each seat. On the end wall, was a huge LCD monitor. The blinds on the large windows could be adjusted to allow natural light to flood the room, or completely block it out.

The table was surrounded now by the current members of Team Possible. Wade was sitting at one end of the table, his laptop in front of him. Next to him, representing the communications staff was Felix. Zita was currently working the ops room with the volunteers. Next to him sat Jim, with his twin right beside him. They were going over some new booster design for the hover jet. The seat next to Tim was vacant, as was the head of the table. On the left of the head chair was Sarah Go. She had opted to wear her mission outfit, which was a black jumpsuit with green piping. Her hair was still in it's plait from the day before. Next to her sat Monique, who, along with Wade, ran the acquisition department of Team Possible, getting the gear and mission clothes needed. An empty seat separated her from Joss, who sat to Wade's right.

Kim walked in and took the seat at the head of the table, with Ron at her right hand. Since it had been her site to begin with, it was still very much her team. "Thanks for coming everyone. Once our sponsor gets here, we will begin the meeting."

At that moment, the door to the conference room opened once again. A cane tapped on the hardwood flooring as an elderly gentleman came in and took the chair between Monique and Joss. He turned to the head of the table. "Good morning, Miss Possible. I am pleased to see that you and Mr. Stoppable have done well with the funds that I provided." Senor Senior Senior smiled brightly about the room. This was the first time he had seen the new facilities in person. "The three dimensional blueprints did not do this place justice. I wish I had done something similar on my island."

Kim rose from her chair, and nodded to the gallant gentleman. "We wanted to make you feel you were getting your money's worth." Resuming her seat, she cut straight to the chase.

"As you all know, I am two months pregnant, and the nature of the missions Team Possible handles makes it very dangerous for our child," Kim reached over and put her hand over Ron's, where it sat on the table. "and myself. I have asked you here to request that you pick up the slack. What we do is too important to be dependant on one of us anymore. Our name is Team Possible. I hope, no, I know that I can count on our team."

"What exactly are your needs, Miss Possible? Will you require more in the way of resources?" Senor Senior folded his hands on the table before him. "I have some investments that are about to mature, and could easily divert the funds."

"Thank you, sir, but we have plenty of resources. It's personnel that have to be shifted around." She turned to look past her fiancee. "Jim, Tim, I am sorry, but you are going to have to spend a little less time in the lab, and more out in the field. You both have experience handling odd situations, and are good at thinking on your feet."

"Did our sister just..." Jim began.

"Compliment us?" his brother finished. Both pretended to faint from shock.

Kim just rolled her eyes.

"Sarah has agreed to work with Ron on any assignments that Global Justice sends our way. She has the clearances. I know that they are both capable. We'll see if their unique abilities will mesh or not." She turned to look at Sarah.

"Don't worry, Princess. I'm not going to let anything happen to him out there. I just hope that the travel arrangements aren't as 'cozy' as they used to be for the two of you. Then again..." She smirked at Kim and then winked when she saw the green eyes blaze for a moment. Ron just chuckled softly for a moment, and whistled nonchalantly into the air.

Sarah looked around the table and opened a file that sat before her. Nodding to Wade, she added her other contribution to the new dynamics of the team. "I am in the process, with the help of Joss, of training two new member of the team." The screen behind Kim came to life with a picture of two teen age people. One was a young man, still growing, but showing great potential of physical power. The other was a slim brunette girl. "These are Ron Garvin and Leanne Barton. They were students of mine three years ago, when I first got back into education."

Another image came on the screen, a clip of the two working out in a gym with Sarah. "They have heard so much about Team Possible, and my connection with you all. A few months into the sixth grade, they made the mistake of following me on a mission that Kim asked me to take on. They learned that the adventure is accompanied by danger. Rather than run, they came to my rescue when I got into a tight spot." Sarah paused for a moment, and a fond smile took over her pale features. "Since then, I got them to promise not to try being heroes without the proper supervision."

She turned to look at Kim, who had been staring intently at the screen. "Yes, they are still young. Seems to me that you were foiling mad scientists at fifteen. With your permission, I'd like to get them going on some of the smaller requests from the site. Their parents have already given the go-ahead, provided we give them the necessary training." Now Sarah's face took on an almost pleading look. "They want to help, Kim. They have your heart."

Kim turned back to the table. She stared at the highly polished wood surface for a long moment. "Alright, bring them in, but they don't go anywhere without you, Joss or the boys. I'll want to meet with them before they go out for the first time." Now she turned to Monique. "Suit them up. Same mission clothes as the rest of us."

Monique just grinned at her bff. She loved nothing more than dressing people up as if they were lifesize dolls.

"One last thing everyone, just because I'm not out there, doesn't mean I'm out of the loop. I asked you all to get into this with me. I want all of you to be careful out there, for me." She put on her best puppy-dog-pout. "Besides, I'll be watching, won't I, Wade?"

"Sees all, hears all, knows all. She can still do anything!" Wade smiled widely as Joss punched him on his arm.

"With so many of us out there now, we can work to support each other better than ever." Kim looked around at the table. She stopped and looked at her cousin. "After all, in a couple of years, who knows who might have to take 'maternity leave' next."

There was laughter all around the table as Joss turned almost as red as her hair.


	4. Roasting the Groom

The standard ownership disclaimers apply here. If you saw it on television, it belongs to Disney. Unlike our good friend Pharoah Rutin Tutin, I am not the King of Denial.

A shout out to the readers who have commented on this story so far. I thank you for your patience with me. I had a bout of writers block, and I've been working at a new job. None of which excuses not dealing with the task at hand, but at least makes it understandable.

Great thanks to author cpneb, who stepped in to beta this chapter while my regular beta reader is out in Colorado (How's that for irony?) working with a group of middle school kids on an excursion. He was of great help getting this presentable for you folks.

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**Roasting the Groom**

With so many of the party being under age, alcohol was naturally out of the question for the bachelor party. Instead, Felix had rented out the back room of the best Italian restaurant in town. Instead of the usual, bawdy entertainment, he had prepared a roast, with every guest invited to bash the groom in good humour.

Felix took a space in front of the long table at which Ron and the rest of the party had been assembled.

"Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to witness the death of Ronald Dean Stoppable, bachelor and friend. In a couple of weeks, we will never see him again. He will be tied up in the bonds of holy matrimony. Only with his wife's permission will he be allowed out to play." He looked over to where Ron sat, and smiled at his best friend since junior year of high school.

"I think it behooves each of us, on this special occasion to recall our fond memories of our good friend. With the help of Wade, Mr. Stoppable and various other sources, we have tonight a slide show to humiliate... I mean, honor, Ron as he so well deserves." Nodding to the head table, he signaled for the lights to be lowered.

Rufus leaped from his place next to Ron and climbed over to hit the light switch. He then ran to his assigned post for this evening, the controls of the power point presentation. The images were projected onto a white section of wall just to the left of the table occupied by the wedding party. The first projection was the words; "Ronald Dean Stoppable, the Early Years".

Mr. Stoppable stood from his seat and made his way around the table. As he passed his son, he felt a tug on his arm.

"Please, Dad! Not "Ron's Big Day"! It took forever to live that one down after the film festival." For all that he was whispering, just about everyone in the room could hear him. There were chuckles and outright laughter from many. Ron looked as mortified as was humanly possible.

"Don't worry, son. This will be relatively painless. Relative to a root canal, that is." Gene continued on and took Felix' place. He nodded at Rufus, who hit the button on the computer mouse, changing the picture on the wall.

This one was of a two year old Ronald Stoppable. He was surrounded by a large number of women in what appeared to be a park. "My son has always had his own unique way with women. You will notice that the majority of these ladies are red heads. Also note the extreme amount of drool on Ron's face. Perhaps even then, he was developing his taste in the fair sex." Everyone laughed, with the exception of Ron, who was turning red already.

Gene nodded again, and the mouse clicked.

"Fast forward, to his fourth birthday. Here we have a prime example of Ron's eating habits, already in fine form." There was an image of culinary carnage now on the wall beside the table. Ron was face-first into the cake. In the background was a small knot of kids, among which was a little girl with red hair in pigtails. "Eventually he did learn to chew, sometime just before leaving for college." The screen now showed an eighteen year old Ron wolfing down a Naco, somehow not getting cheese and salsa all over the camera. Kim and Monique were to be seen in the background, the former looking just a little nauseated, and the latter watching with an air of being somewhat impressed.

"Of course, let's not forget Ron's greatest talent, that of being comfortable wherever he was or whoever he was with." Now a series of pictures flashed. The first was of a young boy falling asleep on the toilet, with a comic book conveniently giving him some privacy. Then the same boy, a few years older, was lying on the couch in the Possible family room, with two very little twins drawing on his face with their mother's lipstick. Another picture, and heaven only knew where it came from, was of Ron in algebra class, sound asleep with Principal Barkin standing over him, poised to whack him in the back of the head.

"Yes, my son is the typical American male. The epitome of what everyone has come to associate with bachelorhood." Gene turned to his son. "Hope you enjoyed the wild life, son: time to be domesticated." To laughter and applause, Mr. Stoppable returned to his seat.

Next up was the father of the bride. Before turning to go to the mike, he reached over and ruffled Ron's already messy hair. 'Time to let him know just what kind of life he's in for as a member of this family!' he thought to himself.

On the signal, Rufus again clicked the computer mouse. The words, "What we have gained" came up on the wall.

"When I first met Ronald, I had serious doubts about the kind of friends my Kimmie-cub was making at pre-K. Let's just say that first impressions are important, and his was a doozy." A picture came up of a young Ron, stretching out a hand to shake with Mr. Possible, Kim at his left elbow. The next picture showed the same young boy reaching for the pants that had fallen, exposing his Fearless Ferret underpants. "You really get to know someone when you see them in crisis mode." James merely grinned wickedly at his future son-in-law. Ron was trying to crawl under the table.

"After a few weeks, this young man became a regular part of the family. He was forever in our home, our kitchen, and our fridge." Rufus clicked the mouse again, and there was an adolescent Ron Stoppable, or at least what could be seen sticking out of the refrigerator. Food was piled on the counter behind him. "In his defense, he was quick to provide meals for the rest of us, even helping Kimmie when her mother and I couldn't be home." Somehow, there was a picture of Ron preparing a chicken and pasta supper for the three younger Possibles. A quick look at the twins confirmed the source of the footage, especially since it showed Ron in a rather... intimate, position with their sister, assisting her with the slicing of the chicken breast.

"Which brings us to the matter of the relationship between my daughter and this baby faced thief of hearts." James tried to look as if he were disapproving of the guest of honor, and failed miserably. "The first real indication was the time and effort that Ron put into cheering Kimmie when she got her braces. He worked for a week at a part time job to buy her a Pandaroo. Her reaction was rather, unexpected, by both of us." The screen changed again, to a picture of a young red head with a pony tail landing on her best friend and hugging him, in her bed.

"Needless to say, I had a long chat with Ronald about the consequences of anyone taking advantage of my little girl." A telescopic view of a black hole, taken by the space center astronomers flashed on the wall next to the head table. Ron turned five shades of red. "This same lecture was repeated, in greater detail when Ron took Kim on their first real date." A video of Kim walking down the stairs in her little black dress was now playing. Guys all over the room were drooling unconsciously, with the exception of Mr. Dr. P, the Tweebs and Mr. Stoppable. The video changed point of view, to show James shutting Ron's mouth, which had been hanging open.

"When it was Ron who brought my daughter home from the prom," here the picture changed to one provided by Felix, taken the night that they had cemented their relationship. Ron and Kim were kissing on the dance floor, surrounded by fellow students. "I was a little confused. Eric had seemed to have such a grip on her heart. On the other hand, I wasn't totally surprised. Ron had shown Anne and I thousands of times how he really felt about Kim. He kept her safe, at a cost that he won't let us tell." James looked at Ron with a countenance of such gratitude that it was palpable in the air.

"Never has Ronald Dean Stoppable disappointed me in his treatment of my little girl. The threat of a ride on a deep space probe really wasn't necessary. However, given her current condition, I think I may want to make some alterations."

Plans came up on the screen. They were obviously of a space probe, equipped with the seats out of a minivan, complete with child seat. There were chuckles all around the room. At the base of the rocket was a banner reading "Just Married" and "Baby on Board".

James Possible pointed to Rufus, who had stepped behind a small screen, and came out wearing a tiny tuxedo. He clicked the mouse again, and music began to issue from the speakers at the front of the room. His image was relayed to the wall by a web cam atop the computer. Frank Sinatra began to sing, and Rufus lip synced to the words.

_Fly me to the moon, _

_I want to play among the stars._

_Let me see what spring is like on,_

_Jupiter and Mars!_

"Rufus, not you too!" Ron groaned and dropped his head, narrowly missing his plate of half finished mashed potatoes.

The mole rat simply grinned at his friend and bowed to the rest of the room.

James returned to his place at the table, playfully punching Ron on the shoulder on his way by.

Wade stepped up to the mike, which he had to adjust to his somewhat shorter stature. The web cam image was gone, replaced by the words "Man on a Mission: or What Happened to My Pants?" When he saw this, Ron suddenly recalled the presence of a Kimmunicator almost every time that he had experienced a wardrobe malfunction.

"I met Ron at a time in my life when I wasn't able to leave my room, for reasons that I'd rather not go into on this happy occasion. He showed me that if you are true to yourself and willing to face your fears, they can be conquered. Embarrassment means nothing to Ron Stoppable, because it has so long been a part of who he is.

"I provided Team Possible with the grapple guns to get them into and out of places that were hard to access. What I didn't count on was 'The Ron Factor' when I designed the systems." There was a video clip of an early mission, in which Kim used her hair dryer grapple to get to the roof of a building. Ron fired his, only to have his pants fly away with the hook.

"On the other hand, technology wasn't his only problem with his clothing." Somehow, Wade had gotten footage of Ron practicing with a bo staff at the Yamanouchi school. The staff twirled so fast that it could be seen only as a blur. When it finally came to a stop, Ron was grinning and proud of himself. Until he realized that he was naked except for his boxers.

"Kim did solve the pants problem for her boyfriend, six months after they started dating. For their 'half-a-versary' she asked me to make a belt laced with flexible titanium. This gift did a good job of ending the pants drop maneuver." There was a security camera shot from Bueno Nacho taken the day that the belt had been presented. Monique, who was across the table from Kim in the picture, had a bemused expression on her face.

"On one mission, three years ago, they used this piece of equipment to get into one of Senor Senior's estates. While it was handy for getting in, it left Ron open to the usual dilemma." Everyone laughed as a clip from a Kimmunicator recording played on the wall. Ron was groping for his pants, "Great idea, KP." Ron whispered. "Can I have my belt back now?" His pants, true to form, had fallen down around his ankles: yet a further argument in favor of boxers over briefs. Kim merely rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, noting that he was wearing a brand new pair. These featured a print of smiley faces sticking their tongues out.

"Yes, I think we can state that Ronald Stoppable has truly been a man on a mission. That mission, to get out of his pants around Kim Possible as often as humanly possible, no pun intended." There were gales of laughter around the room.

As Wade passed his good friend, he stopped and smiled down at him. Who would have thought eight years ago that he would have been teasing the older boy who was best friend to his hero? The same, who would grow up and become a hero in his own right.

"Wade: if you didn't work so hard to keep Kim and me safe, I would show you just how much I've learned about Tai Sheng Pek War." Even while threatening his friend, Ron couldn't help but smile back. This was the little brother he never had, right behind the twin terrors.

Those same twins now stepped around the other end of the table. As with all things, they were going to do this together.

Rufus nodded at the Possible boys and clicked on the mouse again. This time there were head shots of Jim and Tim, bracketing the words "Ron Stoppable, the Brother We Always Wanted (to torment)".

Jim stepped up to the mike first, being the eldest by four minutes. "Ron, we have always looked up to you. Not much choice, since you've always been tall enough to use as a ladder." Indeed, there was a picture of one of the twins perched on Ron's shoulders, using him as a means of reaching the bottle of model paint on a shelf in the garage. This was followed by a picture of the same Ron, covered in the paint which had been spilled right over his head.

Tim took his brother's place at the mike. "When most guys your age would tell us to take a hike, you always had time for us...even if you didn't realize it." The screen showed, for the second time, the image of the twins painting his face with their mother's make up. "But more importantly, you did take time out to be with us as guys." There was a home movie of Ron and the boys thrashing it out on the Zbox game system.

"Of course, when you started dating Kim," Tim started.

"You became fair game." Jim finished.

The next click of the mouse called forth a scene from in front of the Possible home. Ron and Kim had just returned from a date, and he was kissing her goodnight on the front stoop. Poised in a window above them were the twin terrors that everyone knows and loves, to yell at. Captured in mid-drop were two very carefully aimed water balloons.

"We haven't shown this next clip to anyone, Ron, because, as much as we like to pester you and Kim, we didn't want to see you waving goodbye to her from one of Dad's probes." A picture now came up on the screen that made Ron not only blush, but look around for the nearest exit. The twins had apparently hacked into the most convenient spy satellite, and had trained it on Ron and their sister while on a date on the shores of Lake Middleton. They had abandoned the picnic basket and were instead feasting on one another. The kiss was more passionate than anything that the couple had ever allowed anyone to see.

James stared at the picture for a couple of seconds, taking note of the date and time which was stamped on the bottom of the shot by the satellite's computer. According to this, it was the summer just after they had started dating officially. He looked at the twins, and then over at Ron, who refused to meet his gaze.

"Ronald Dean Stoppable! You got some _'splainin'_ to do!" He glared at his daughter's fiancee. Then his face broke out into a smile so big, it almost cracked his face in two. "It took you long enough! You had only known her for, what, thirteen years?"

"As for you two," And now there was no smile on his face as James Possible looked at his sons. "We are going to have a long talk about classified materials and illegal use of military property."

The boys looked at each other. "Hicka bicka boo?"

"Hooshaw?"

Together: "So worth it!"

Tim went to pick up an object that was covered by a white cloth, while Jim turned to their father.

"Speaking of classified materials, we sort of borrowed your blueprints for the BH3600, family version. We decided that maybe it would be nice for Kim and Ron to have a little reminder of what could have happened." Tim sat the object on the table, and Rufus peeled back the covering. There on the table was a model of the probe James had designed, complete with banner. Attached to the main thrusters were tiny tin cans and doll shoes. "We won't fire it off in here, but you better believe this thing does work, Ron. After all, our father did draw up the original plans.

"So that's why you guys wouldn't let me into the garage all last week." Ron had been wondering what all of the secrecy had been about. Knowing his young friends as well as he did, he'd decided he was better off not knowing.

Felix rolled back to the mike as the boys sat down at their end of the table, giving each other a high five as they did so.

"So, gentlemen, we bid farewell to Ronald Dean Stoppable, man of leisure, appetites for things both culinary and feminine, and generally prime example of bachelorhood." He reached over and picked up his glass of beer (being of legal age and not the designated driver for the evening) and raised it in a toast. Everyone else, with the exception of the groom to be, rose to their feet. "To Ron: if you have to go, at least you are going to a better place." Everyone took a swig of whatever beverage they had.

Ron got to his feet, his own glass in his hand. He had opted for a simple glass of ginger ale, as a show of support for Kim, who was unable to drink at her bridal shower, taking place in the Jenkins recreation room on the other side of town. If nothing else, he was always supportive of his better half.

"I want to thank all of you. To quote a famous novel, 'It is a far better thing I do, than I have ever done before. A far better resting place I go to, than I have ever known.' While you have been pretending to mourn the death of my bachelor way of life, I have been preparing for the birth of the greatest adventure that a man can take." He raised his glass.

"To all of you, for being with me on the start of the best part of my life," Ron looked around the room. He saw his father, and silently thanked him for being such a good example of what a husband should be. He saw the twins, and was grateful to finally have such fine younger brothers. He turned to Wade, the young man that had kept him and Kim safe in all that they did. Felix, the one guy who let Ron be himself, and never questioned that "never be normal" attitude. Out at the other tables, he saw the guys from the football team. At one table, Drew Lipsky was sitting with Duff Killigan and Dementor, that latter two currently on the straight and narrow.

Finally, he looked at James Timothy Possible, the man who was giving him the only thing in the world that mattered to him. They locked eyes for a moment, sharing their love of Kimberly Anne Possible. Promises were made and accepted in that glance.

"Thank you all for your parts in helping to bring Kim and I together over the years. All I can say about what is going to happen on Saturday is:

"BOOYAH!"


	5. Meanwhile, at Monique's

I need to thank all of the people who have contributed to this story, from each and every person who has reviewed, to my wonderful beta, Rondo. Special thanks to cpneb for his permitting me to use his characters and story arcs as reference points in this story.

The usual disclaimers apply, unfortunately. The characters are the property of Disney, or the work of cpneb. I thank both sources.

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**Meanwhile, at Monique's**

While Ron Stoppable was being humiliated by family and friends, (Who better to partake in such an activity?) Kim was in the midst of celebrating the big day with the women who were part of her life. As the Maid of Honor, Monique Jenkins had decided to throw a classic wedding shower. In other words; food, fashion and good natured teasing about the honeymoon.

As with the roast going on across town at Sponalli's Italian Dining Lounge, alcohol was in very limited supply. Neither Kim nor Anne were able to drink, and some of the wedding party were underage. The beverage of choice was coffee (Also off limits to the Possible women.) or tea. Joss had brought several bottles of her favorite sparkling grape juice, and Kim was enjoying every sip. It certainly kept her mouth from drying out.

"You know, girl friend, you're lucky to have me working the fashion end for you. Have you seen some of the stuff they are hawking for brides maids this year? The fashion police would be handing out tickets all over the church!" Monique had been studying the textile arts for three years, and was considered a rising star in the world of clothing design. Rumour had it that she would be producing a whole new line for Club Banana.

"Monique, I'm just glad Ron grew out of that powder blue tuxedo he wore to the Junior Prom." That had always been high on the list of fashion disasters, as far as Kim was concerned. "It was great that you could design something so wonderful for each of us. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you had been planning this since that night."

What Kim didn't know was that her bf had indeed been sketching. Ever since that first kiss. Hidden away in the back of her closet had been pads filled with gown ideas. Every time, she came back to the blue dress that Kim had been wearing that night. The straps had been replaced by a shawl, and the ragged burn at the hem had morphed into a ruffled fringe. Blue had become the purest of whites, with tiny emerald beads sewn in a line above the fringe and at the neckline. The slit at the side was just long enough to allow freedom of movement, while still maintaining a sense of decorum.

"And I'm sure that my dress will be perfect." Anne Possible had come up to where the young ladies had been talking in one corner of the Jenkin's large rec room. "This wedding came together a lot faster than I thought it would. Kimmie and I haven't even begun to show yet." At just over two months, both had been more than a little obsessive about their appearance. Everyone had assured them that, so far, there was only that tell-tale "glow" about them.

"Mrs. Possible, it is a pleasure to work with all of you. You can't miss when dressing up models! You missed your calling!" Monique gushed.

"And how do you think I earned my way through medical school? I did a little bit of fashion modelling for Coco Banana when he was getting his start." Anne watched as both Kim and Monique's jaws almost hit the floor. "You should have seen the evening gowns he was designing back in the eighties. It wasn't until much later that he got into the designer jeans and cargo pants that Kimmie loves so much."

While Anne had always been a fashion plate, it had never occurred to Kim that her mother might ever have done anything besides brain surgery. She had always just been "Mom", the woman who put her on speaker phone when giving her advice, much to the embarrassment of her teen daughter. That was like thinking about the fact that her mother and father... No, that was just too much of an image! Then again, she had to get pregnant somehow.

Jean Stoppable wandered over from the buffet table, where she had been picking over the wonderful food that had been catered for the event. She was trying to watch her weight, and had been cutting back on the fatty foods since the day that Ron and Kim had announced that she was going to be a grandmother.

"What has the girls so shocked, Anne?" She sipped at the glass of white wine in her left hand.

"I was just telling them a little about my life before marriage and kids, Jean." She winked at her good friend and former neighbor. "Somehow they think that life didn't start until they were born."

"Mom!" Kim protested.

"Things haven't changed that much since Samuel and James were young then." Esther (Nanna) Possible joined the group, seemingly materializing from nowhere. Even in her golden years, she was capable of full stealth mode. "I seem to recall a similar look on your face when your mother and I were discussing what we were up to in the sixties. You would think that nobody else went to Woodstock in a surplus army Jeep." She smiled over the lip of her tea cup.

As one the group walked over to a bunch of seats pulled up around a coffee table. Every now and then one of the girls from the cheer squad days would come over and talk with Kim. The room was full of laughing, gossiping women of varying ages.

Sarah Go was sitting on a sofa with Joss Possible. They seemed to be having an animated discussion about the wrist grapples that were currently in use by members of Team Possible. Joss was shaking her head at the older woman and miming the action of twirling her favorite grapple gun on her index finger. Sarah simply rolled her eyes and smiled slightly. It was obvious she was remembering the way Kim used to flourish her old hairdryer grapple. In all those years, she had never gotten it away from her.

Looking at her watch, Monique stood up and tapped the side of her coffee mug loudly with her spoon. "Ladies, I think it's about time we started Kim opening her presents. There is quite the pile of them over there on the table by the door." Taking her bf by the hand, she walked her over and sat her on one of the dining room chairs from upstairs. It had been dressed up to look like a throne, even raised up on a small platform her father had constructed for the occasion.

"This first gift is from myself. As Maid of Honor, I claim first dibs on congratulating her." She put a neatly wrapped box on Kim's lap.

There was silence in the room as the ribbon was deftly untied and the paper folded back. It was no surprise that the box had "Club Banana" emblazoned on the top. Monique watched her expression as she pulled open the lid. Kim's eyes were as big as saucers when she saw the contents. With trembling hands, she pulled out a nightgown that had no other purpose than the seduction of her soon to be husband. The light showed through the light blue fabric, the same shade as the dress she had worn on prom night, so long ago. The thin straps gave way to lace, which then became a translucent material.

"Monique, I've been through every inch of the store with you. Since when did Club Banana start selling stuff like this?"

"This is a preview Kim. The lingerie line doesn't hit the stores for another four months. By then, I don't think you'll be into wearing anything quite so... exciting." She pointed to the label, and then put a finger to her lips. In tiny gold print were the words, "Anything's Possible - designed by Monique J."

Monique put her arms around Kim and hugged her tight. "I hope Ron likes it as much as Coco Banana did." Leaning in, she whispered, "If you weren't pregnant before the honeymoon, I think this might have gotten the ball rolling."

The next present was from Bonnie and the girls from the old squad. When the wrapping was opened, it revealed a quilt, done in the Middleton Mad Dogs colours. Each square had been painstakingly made by one of the girls. Kim fingered each one. They had stitched in pieces of their old uniforms. A central patch was sewn in the pattern of a pyramid, with the initials of each girl embroidered in their position in the stack.

Bonnie Rockwaller herself presented the card to go with the gift. "K, we might not have always seen eye-to-eye on a lot of things, especially Ron. I just hope you know that, I never really hated either of you. I was just so jealous of the fact that you had somebody that loves you so much." She looked down at her feet. "I'm glad you were willing to forgive me for all of the things I've said and done."

Putting the quilt to one side, Kim got up from the chair. She pulled Bonnie into a hug. "I took too long to understand and forgive, B. Who knows what it would have been like for us if we'd gotten over our stupid rivalry." With a world of experience outside of the "food chain" of high school and the sorority she had been kicked out of, Bonnie was finally finding a place for herself.

When she was seated once more, Kim was handed the next box. It was plain and black, with no card or tag that she could see. Looking at it warily, (In the world saving business, you have to be careful about unmarked packages.) she carefully removed the top. Beneath layers of tissue that looked beautiful on its own, was a light blue gi, the traditional garb of the martial arts. The belt was black, with the initials KS stitched into one end in deep red threads. Hidden in the folds were two things, a slip of delicate rice paper and a colorful Japanese fan. The paper read, in delicate calligraphy:

Honorable Kim-samma,

Sensei and I were delighted to hear of your engagement to Stoppable-san. You are the completion of each other. I had hoped to be in your place once, but I see that you are Ron's destiny.

The gi is a gift from all of us here at Yamanouchi. You are a warrior in your own right, and you carry the next chosen one. We are honored to be with you, if only in a small way, on this joyous occasion. Be assured that we will be watching over you and your intended, in the event that you need help securing your privacy. We hope that you enjoy your gift.

The fan is from myself, my friend. You might recognize it. I used it in our battle against the mutant gorillas when you aided me in rescuing Sensei. I know that you will master its use in a very short time.

Yori

Kim pulled the gi out of the tissue, to show off the fine fabric to the ladies around her. Setting it aside, she grasped the fan. With a flick of her wrist, it opened, exposing the steel points that stuck out like the spines on a blow-fish. In combat, they were deadly, capable of slashing through most materials. It was the weapon of choice for ladies of the Japanese Royal Court in ancient times. There were gasps around the room.

"Who in the world gave you such a thing, Kim?" Sarah made her way to the front of the crowd. As a fellow martial artist, she was fascinated by the stylish weapon. "I can see where it might be useful for keeping a husband in line, but isn't it a little... unusual as a wedding present?"

"It's from a dear friend of mine and Ron's." Kim responded. She would have loved to have said more, but she was sworn to secrecy about Yamanouchi, and Ron's time there many years ago. Ninjas relied on anonymity. Kim could respect that. "She and I have the same taste in weaponry, and men." The smile in her eyes spoke volumes.

Folding the fan up again, she put it down next to her feet. She knew it for what it was, an heirloom, passed down from mother to daughter. That Yori would give it to her, a rival for Ron's affections meant the world to her. Kim vowed to spot the raven haired woman, no matter how much she had practiced being stealthy. After all, they had sent her an invitation to the wedding, and _nobody_ turned down an invitation from Kim Possible without a darned good reason.

Reaching past Monique, Sarah picked up a particular gift from the table. "This one is from Drew and I. We wanted to give you something special for the wedding, in keeping with traditions and all." Her lips twitched a little, giving way to a smile and a smirk at the same time. Something only she could pull off. "After all, 'something old, something new, something borrowed...' She allowed the rest to trail off.

Kim undid the pretty green ribbon that the box was held closed with. She used it to tie up her hair in a ponytail like the one she used to wear as a girl. Inside was a garter belt, lacy and made in an intricate pattern. It was the same shade of blue as Drew Lipsky! As she showed it about the room, Sarah pulled out a photo of her former employer for comparison.

"It was a special dye order, Kim. Believe me, it wasn't easy getting Drew to go into the store with me to get a match! The promise I had to make..." Sarah was laughing openly. Deep in the green eyes was something even more wonderful than the gift. Whenever she mentioned his name, they lit up like little stars. She leaned in and hugged her young friend. "I expect you to get Monique to help me with my gown too." she whispered into Kim's ear, before kissing her cheek.

It was all Kim could do not to shout with joy at the very suggestion. All those years of bickering and pushing each others buttons. Maybe they had been practicing for a serious relationship.

"You have the blue now, Kimberly Anne. Time for the old." Esther accepted another small package from Monique, who still held the position at Kim's right hand. She looked at the wrapping with a wistful smile on her face. "This is one of the first gifts that your grandfather gave me. I had planned to hand it down to my daughter, but I only had your father and uncle." She watched as her oldest granddaughter carefully unwrapped the little velvet box.

Inside was a cameo brooch. It was oval, set on a gold pin, with an onyx stone supporting the mother of pearl silhouette of a man and a woman holding hands. The precious gift was cradled in loving hands.

"Nanna, this is so beautiful. I know that I've seen it somewhere before, but I've never seen you wear it."

"You saw it in our wedding photos, Kimmie." Anne stepped up next to her mother-in-law. "She lent it to me on our wedding day. Nanna came into the sanctuary at the church and pinned it at my throat herself." Turning to the elder Possible, she asked, "Will you do the same for Kimmie?"

"Of course, dearie. I expect you to do the same for my great-granddaughter, when her day comes."

By now all three women were openly crying. Kim stood up and hugged both of them to her tightly. There were more than a few wet cheeks by this point. Even the once cynical Sarah Go was misty eyed.

"Okay, girl friend. We've had the old, we've had the blue. Time for the borrowed." Reaching to the table, Monique grabbed a bag that was loaded down with tissues. "Remember when we were fitting you out for that gown? You might recall that we never did decide on a pair of earrings to go with it. Sarah asked your mom and Jean to leave that to her." She handed the bag to her best friend. "These are a loan, to be returned to her when she asks for them, and not before."

Under all of the gaily colored tissue paper was a matched set of emerald earrings and a crystal pendant of the same shade. They had been lovingly wrapped in a small handkerchief, one that Kim had seen once, folded neatly into the corner of Sarah's desk drawer, back when she had hosted a slumber party back in senior year of high school.

"I intend to wear those to an anniversary party, and I'm not saying which one!", Sarah Best called out from her place near the bar. There was a great deal of laughter around the room. Monique merely smiled at Kim and said, "Think double digits, girl."

When the ladies all finally settled down again, an elderly woman who had been sitting quietly in the corner by the wood stove rose from her seat. Leaning lightly on a polished wooden cane, she made her way across the room. Tatyana Stoppable, Ron's grandmother, stepped up.

"I think it's up to me to complete the old tradition." Her voice was a delicate contralto, in contrast to her large size. One expected her to have a heavy, deep voice. Instead, despite a large girth and almost stereotypical limp, she was incredibly light in voice and step. "I have brought you something new to start your life with my little Ronnie. It is something that no home is complete without."

Monique passed a large box to Kim, who set it carefully on the floor before her, hearing what could only be fine china clinking inside. Pulling away the paper, she saw a fine tea set, of the sort that many young girls dream of when they play at having tea parties. It was painted with a spray of rose colored blossoms, and had every piece needed for even the most elaborate of settings. Taking each piece in her hand, she felt like a queen, pampered with only the best that money could buy.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Stoppable. I will think of you every time I serve guests from this set. I do hope that you can come from New York now and then, so that I can serve you."

"Kimberly, you are family now! You must call me 'Bubbe' as Ronnie does. It is an honorable title, and I would really like you to think of me as your own grandmother. No disrespect to Esther, of course. There is no such thing as too much family." Handing her cane to her new friend (She and Nana Possible had discovered that they shared a love of baking and sewing.) She threw her arms around Kim. Over the girl's shoulder, Tatyana saw Monique smiling at them.

Kim sat back down and finished opening gifts.

Joss had given her a pair of boots, in onyx buffalo leather. She had taken pride in telling her cousin and one time hero that she had picked out the hide herself, and had them cut and made to be as comfortable as walking in bare feet.

When all of the gifts at last had been opened, everyone fell to conversing again in earnest. The buffet table was also a popular stopping place.

As Kim made the rounds of the room, she found herself in the back corner, by the wood stove, where Tatyana Stoppable was chatting amiably with Sarah Go, of all people. They were discussing where the family had come by the unusual surname. Given her experiences with Ron, Sarah just couldn't reconcile the contradiction. In more than four years, the young man had managed to foil plots through almost random acts of destruction.

"I've known Ron for a long time now, Mrs. Stoppable, and I have to tell you, that kid has a knack for getting out of the worst scrapes." She blushed for a moment. "I don't know if you know exactly who I am..."

"Oh, I know all about you, Shego, dear. I've always had an eye on our Ronnie, so I know all about what you used to do." She gave a matronly smile to the obviously shocked Sarah. "Many is the time he wrote me letters telling me about how you were one step from helping to take over the world. All the same, he told me that, deep down, he thought you were really a good person, no matter what you might have said or done."

"I wouldn't be here now without Ron and Kim's help. I owe both of them my life. They took me in when I had no place else to turn, and refused to give up on me, even when I lost my way." She looked up at Kim and smiled. "I'd have to say that giving him the name 'Stoppable' was a cruel joke by... someone."

"It's actually a mangled version of our family's Polish name. My husband came to this country as a boy just after the second world war. He was Johann Stopaplebski. When they got to Ellis Island, somebody decided that this was too much of a mouth full. On the immigration documents, it got changed to Stoppable." Tatyana chuckled softly to herself. "Johann, God bless him, said that none of the family could speak English very well, and they thought that this was an American custom, to take on a new name when coming to the country. They had no idea what it meant!"

All three women had a great chuckle at the irony of naming a family that did not know the meaning of the word quit "Stoppable".

"Well, I'm glad that he decided to be 'Step-upable" when push comes to shove, Bubbe." The Yiddish term came awkwardly to Kim, but she felt that she could very quickly get used to it. "He saved me the night of the diablos, and he saved all of us when the Lowardians decided to invade."

"It's in his blood, dearie. Our family survived the camps and the Soviet regime. I may only have married into the Stoppable name, but I know what they have done and are capable of. You have the same strength of will and purpose that my Johann did." Tatyana smiled at the young woman who was now kin. "You will do the name proud. I have the strength of faith, faith in you and my Ronnie."


	6. A Private Ceremony

This was meant to just be a short little supplement to the previous two chapters. Ron and Kim were to meet, and say their own private vows. Somehow, it morphed into what you see. As I've said, these people never do what you tell them to. Thank heavens.

Credit once more to Disney, cpneb, my beta, and all others who have had a hand in this tale.

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**A Private Ceremony**

As the party was starting to wind down at Sponalli's, nobody noticed the guest of honor slipping out the back door with Rufus in his pocket. Walking through the kitchen, he winked at the owner, who sat at a desk, figuring out the next day's menu. Marcel reached to his right, and produced a bottle of red wine, that had been set aside earlier in the evening.

"Congratulations, Ronald. I hope this will suit your purposes well."

"You are the best, Marcel! Thanks for the wonderful evening. Please make sure everyone gets home okay. A couple of the guys out there are a little tipsy." Ron had noticed that more than one of the guys from his high school days had been hitting the bar a little harder than was good for them. At least one had made plays for Kim Possible, and they were now drowning unfulfilled dreams. Still, they were friends.

"I have the cabs on standby. Have a good night, Ronald."

Rufus waved goodnight from his pocket, and they walked quietly out to the car, waiting in the parking lot.

xx

The evening was wearing on across town at the Jenkin's residence. A few of the women had left, having to work the next day. Jean had gone home to relieve the babysitter of her burden. At five years old, Hana was more than a handful. The rest of the guests did not see Monique and Kim at the steps up from the rec room.

"Thanks for everything, Monique. Not just the party either. I really think there would have been times when Ron and I wouldn't have made it without you." Kim hugged her friend.

"Girlfriend, you two were meant to be! All it took was a bunch of monster toys to make it plain to you." she chuckled softly into her friend's ear. "I'll never forget the look on your face when Rufus pushed you and Ron together at the junior prom! It was TDF! (to die for) And then the way the class went nuts when you kissed for the first time." A dreamy expression crossed her face.

"Well, now it's all coming together, Monique. Tell Mom I'll be home in a couple of hours. I have a... prior commitment." Squeezing her friend one last time, she started up the stairs and out to the Sloth, which had been parked down the block, allowing for a quick get-away.

xx

The late night breeze whispered through the fresh new leaves on the large tree, not far from the Stoppable back yard. She waited quietly in the branches, rather than in the tree house itself. That would have been too obvious, and her training had been thorough. Patiently, she sat in the branches, looking to the path she knew they must follow. She had to be here for this.

In a few moments, there was a movement from the shadows. There was no sound. His training had been thorough as well, and his powers were greater than anyone knew. Ron Stoppable entered the clearing and looked around. He set the bottle of red wine at the base of the tree, and the small bag containing the glasses next to it. The tiniest noise caught his attention, and he looked back to the path, ignoring what he knew was above him.

Kim Possible stepped into the moonlight. Her auburn hair was still up in the ponytail she had made using the ribbon from Sarah Go's present. Indeed, her face was glowing when she turned her eyes on the man that she loved. She stepped into his open arms.

"Got away okay, I see." Ron smiled and bent his head slightly to kiss his love.

"Yep, and I see you brought what we need."

They both turned to look up into the branches.

"Okay, Yori, you can come down now." Kim was almost giggling as she called up.

Without a sound, Yori dropped from the tree, landing just a few paces away.

"I should have known I could not hide from either of you. Together, you have more power and greater ability than the world has ever known." The raven haired woman stepped forward and pulled down her cowl. She had let her hair grow, and it flowed past her shoulders as she let it loose. "It is good to see both of you again. I trust you got my gift, Kim-samma?"

In response, Kim pulled the fan from behind her back and flipped it open and away from her. The tips gleamed in the light of the moon. "It is beautiful, Yori. Thank you so much!" Folding the weapon back up, and replacing it at her back, she walked over and embraced the other woman. "I know what it means to you, and appreciate it. After all, you loved Ron first."

Yori blushed. "That was before I knew you. I could see in your eyes how you really felt about Ron, and I could never stand in the way of that. It is so good that you both realized your true feelings in time."

"Are you okay though, Yori?" Ron stepped up and took Kim's place in the hug. He gave his friend a slight pat between the shoulder blades as he put his arms around her. There was no tension there at all. She seemed to be bursting with happiness.

"I have found my own future, Ron, Kim. Indeed, he is at your bachelor party. Ned is more than I ever dreamed I could find."

Rufus popped up out of his pocket and climbed up to hug Yori around the neck. "Awww!" he cried. Returning to Ron's shoulder, he bowed deeply to the woman. She stepped away from Ron, and returned the bow.

"Thank you, Rufus-san."

Just then, there was a rustling sound in the bushes that lined the path to the tree house. The beams of two lanterns lit the way for a pair not familiar with the path, and not having the experience of a trained ninja. Moonlight had not been enough to guide the men to this meeting. They emerged from the bush, talking amiably together, the short, balding man with glasses and the tall, stately man with greying hair.

Rabbi Morris Katz and Reverend Anthony Davis looked around.

"I can see why you chose this place for this, Kimberly. It is beautiful." Reverend Davis set his lantern down and gripped his bible tightly. "You realize that this won't be a legal service, since it is taking place after midnight?"

"Yes, Reverend. Ron and I just wanted to have a quiet ceremony for ourselves, since the one at the church on Saturday is going to be mobbed by the press. Thank you both for being willing to come out here." Kim shook hands with both men. Ron followed suit, and Yori bowed formally before doing likewise.

"Ah, Ronald, I told you years ago to follow your heart. Who am I to question where it leads?" Rabbi Katz pushed his glasses farther back on his nose. "I am just proud to be a part of this moment."

The Reverend opened his bible, and the rabbi his Torah. The minister took the first part of the service.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here, in the presence of God, in the midst of His creation, with these witnesses..." He glanced over to Yori and Rufus, who now stood on her hand. "to join Ronald Dean Stoppable and Kimberly Anne Possible in the bonds of Holy Matrimony. Marriage is a commitment not to be entered into lightly. In your years as friends and partners, you have shown that you are ready to take this step into the future, guided by His love, and accepting what is to come."

Rabbi Katz stepped forward.

"Ronald, do you take Kimberly to be your wife, to love, honor and cherish for all of your days?"

"I do."

Reverend Davis looked into emerald eyes, shining in the lanterns' light.

"Kimberly, do you take Ronald to by your husband, to love, honor and cherish for all of your days?"

"I do."

"Then by the power invested in us by God, our Churches and the State of Colorado, we now pronounce you husband and wife."

Rabbi Katz pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and placed one of the glasses from Ron's bundle into it. Placing it next to Ron's right foot, he stepped back. In accordance with tradition, Ron lifted his foot high, and brought it down firmly on the glass.

"Mahzeltov!" cried the Reverend and Rabbi.

Yori and Rufus stepped up and hugged the new couple. The Japanese girl brushed tears from her eyes as the two clergy expressed their congratulations. Rufus patted her on the shoulder.

Ron opened the bottle of wine, and poured drinks for all of them. Somehow, he'd known to bring six glasses, and a tiny one for his rodent brother. They toasted the new marriage, and drained the mouthful of wine. The remainder was re-corked, and put away. Ron intended to have the bottle properly sealed, to be reopened on the first anniversary of this night.

"Thank you so much, Reverend, Rabbi. This means a lot to us." Once more Ron shook hands with the men.

"Yes, we wanted something just for us. We made this commitment a long time ago, and wanted to confirm it just for ourselves." Kim kissed each man on the cheek. "Saturday is for the rest of the world."

"The Father be with you in your new life, Kimberly, Ron." Reverend Davis picked up his lantern. "Can we walk you out, miss..."

Yori was gone. Only Rufus stood behind the young couple. They were grinning brightly.

"You don't have to worry about Yori, sir. She will take care of herself." Ron glanced up into the branches, where he and Kim had seen her leap when the others had their eyes turned away. She was long gone, and would not reappear until she was needed.

When they were alone, Kim and Ron sat under the tree, his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, I suppose it's time we got going too. You have to get things ready at the honeymoon suite before your gown is delivered, and I have to make some final arrangements myself."

"I'm going to miss having you next to me tonight and tomorrow, Ron. I'll live though, knowing that after the wedding, we can be together forever."

The only response Ron could think of was to turn and kiss his wife tenderly on her soft lips.


	7. Get Me to the Church on Time

Well, at last we have the next chapter in our tale. Naturally, Ron has to get into a mess before he can get married.

My apologies to those who have been waiting forever for this story to continue.

Disclaimer: We all know who owns it. It ain't me, but that's life. My thanks to Disney, the readers, and those who have made suggestions.

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**Get Me to the Church on Time**

Friday morning was bright and sunny as Ron Stoppable stepped out of the office complex in downtown Middleton. The final negotiations had gone well, and the papers needed only to be signed. It was a major step, but with a wife and child to look after, it was one that had to be taken. Besides, he and Kim had discussed it since long before the subject of marriage had come up. This had been part of the plan forever, or at least, since graduation.

As he was strolling towards his car, the Kimmunicator in his pocket rang its usual four tones. As casually as any other person might reach for a cell phone, Ron pulled the device out. The Team Possible logo showed for a moment after he pressed the receive button, and then Zita Flores appeared.

"What's up, Zita?" Ron put the key into the lock of his car and turned it.

"Major request on the site from Global Justice. Dr. Director-Possible has asked for a hand with a search and detain." Zita looked at another monitor. "It's an 'old friend' of yours. Electronique has escaped from her cell at the Lowerton Correctional Facility. Somebody let her too close to a transistor radio and she was able to palm a capacitor. She 'charged up' and then shocked her way out."

"I'm on my way to the office now." He had clipped the Kimmunicator securely into place on his dashboard, and was checking his blind spot as he pulled out. "Give me five, and I'll meet Kim and Sarah for briefing." The screen went blank, and the car headed for the warehouse that was home to the Team Possible headquarters. Somehow he'd had a feeling that the world wouldn't be able to leave them alone long enough to get through the wedding.

xx

Dr. Director-Possible herself was sitting in one of the comfortable chairs at the conference table when Team Possible was assembled. She had a cell phone in one hand and was scribbling like mad on one of the sheets from the jumble in front of her. Rumor had it that the top of her desk at Global Justice hadn't been seen since three weeks after she moved into the office. Now she was conferring with a member of the United States Marshall's office, who were usually in charge of securing escaped prisoners.

"Look, this isn't just any fugitive! She gets wind that you people are getting close, and you'll be on the receiving end of a major electrical burn." There was a slight pause. "I'm looking at a report of a power drain three kilometres north of the detention center. She sucked up enough juice to light up half of Go City, and I'm talking about the high density half!" Betty listened for a moment. "That's right, so leave it to somebody who knows what they are dealing with. I happen to be sitting with the best right now." She snapped the phone closed and rolled her eyes.

"One movie about a U.S. Marshall capturing a fugitive and they all think it's phone tips and high speed chases!" She began collecting her papers together and watched as Kim, Ron and Sarah Go took seats. Zita Flores was sitting in the spot that was normally occupied by Dr. Wade Load.

"What's the sitch, Dr. Director?" Kim was in high mission mode, even if she would not be going out into the field herself.

"Enough with the Dr. stuff, Kim. I've been your aunt for the better part of eight months now!" Betty Director had married Slim Possible on his ranch in Montana, just before Christmas. It had been their gift to each other, and to Jocelyn. What better present to receive than your very own "Momma Two". She still used the Director name professionally, but she was every bit a Possible. "Time to start calling me 'Betty', since you and the team aren't directly under my command."

"Fair enough, Betty. So what are we looking at? I'm assuming you've had your people setting up a perimeter." Having worked with Global Justice long enough, Kim was quite familiar with the way things worked. Even Will Du had gotten pretty efficient at dealing with most of the criminal element.

Betty looked up and gave a slight smile. "Actually, what you just heard was me playing games with the Marshall's office. I'm going to use them as the hound dogs they are." Nodding to Zita, at the main computer terminal, she turned to point at the large monitor behind Kim. A map of the Tri-City area was set up, with a line of dots fanning out from the prison some short distance from Lowerton. "If they think the way they usually do, the marshalls will try to track Electronique, and she will stay one step ahead of them."

A number of blue dots appeared, forming two lines on either side of the red one representing the regular law enforcement personnel. "I've got my people set up quietly on either side of the hunt, moving slightly ahead of the search parties. They will let me know if Electronique tries to slip out to one side. They're good agents, but I don't think they are up to the likes of her. That's why I've called you in."

Now there was a building circled on the map. "Given the direction she was last seen running, and the residual electrical charges that the tech people have been reading, we figure she's headed for this lair, just this side of Go City. It's close to high voltage lines, and could shield her signature, as well as power up her abilities."

"So you want to use the marshalls as the distraction, GJ as containment, and Sarah and I as the collar team?" Ron had gotten much better at reading strategy since his early days as Kim's sidekick.

"That's the plan. I'll have Kim coordinate with Agent Du in the field from here. Once you and Miss Go have her occupied, he and the transport crew will come in and finish off the job." Betty looked at Zita and the screen went back to displaying the Team Possible logo. "I don't think it will take too long to get our target back where she belongs. If things go smoothly, I'll have time to press my dress uniform for the wedding tomorrow."

Sarah looked around the table. She was dressed in her mission garb of a black jumpsuit with green piping at the seams. "I wouldn't count on it being too easy. My brothers and I had enough trouble with her back in the day. If she has to, she'll slither out the tiniest crack in this plan." She put an elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand. "I'd suggest that when we have her in sight, we send you a signal. You form the Global Justice people into a circle about two blocks out. Once they are in place, have somebody make an 'anonymous call' to the marshalls, and report a sighting two blocks beyond that on the City side of the lair."

"Well, you know her best, Sarah." Kim said, getting up from the table. "We'd better get you guys into position before Electronique gets too close and smells something is up."

xx

Ron, Sarah and Rufus were sitting up in the rafters of an old power house. They had arrived an hour previously in the Team Possible hover jet, similar to the ones used by Global Justice. Coming in from Go City, they had hidden the transport in a dark alley just inside of what would be the Global Justice perimeter, if things went as planned.

Sarah had argued that it might be better to leave it someplace farther out, that it would be the perfect escape vehicle for their quarry if something went wrong. She had relented only when Ron had countered that leaving it outside of the circle would make it too far to get to in the same event. They compromised by having Kim disable the engines remotely from the base.

Now they sat, back to back, waiting. One, then two hours went by.

Sarah began shifting her weight. All of those years on the wrong side of the law had made her used to action. Patience was something that came to her with great difficulty. She was learning, but it still wasn't easy.

Ron and Rufus, by comparison, seemed like statues. The young blond man sat with his eyes half closed. The naked mole rat was in a lotus position on one of his knees. Every now and then, they would turn their heads, listening at sounds that Sarah thought they were imagining at first. With concentration, she realized that they were hearing mice scurrying about on the floor, twenty-five feet below.

Carefully, she turned around to look at her companion.

Ron had exchanged his old mission clothes for something more stealthy. His blond hair was hidden under the ninja cowl he had been given at Yamanouchi. (Not that she had any knowledge of that.) His shirt was a dark charcoal gray, as were the cargo pants that he wore. His gloves were of the type that the military and police were issued, to protect against knife attacks.

'He's grown into his potential, alright.' Sarah thought to herself. She had watched the commitment he had shown to his workouts, even when school work and missions got in the way. While she didn't truly understand the nature of his abilities, his "Mystical Monkey Powers", she could sense the strength that now lay under that still goofy appearance. He could call on that strength when the situation called for it, but chose to rely on skills learned from others.

It was something that she envied about Ron Stoppable, his ability to grow, yet still hold onto his essential "Ron-ness".

For his own part, Ron was very aware of Sarah's presence next to him. While the majority of his mind was concentrating on the job at hand, he could sense her attention. Beneath the cowl, he allowed himself a small smile.

For four long years he had feared this woman. Not just for the plasma that she would often throw his way. Not even for the times that she would have him tied up and threaten him with a horrible fate. No, he had been intimidated by her as a woman, in a way that only a teenage boy can be intimidated. She was extremely attractive, smart and knew what she wanted. More than once he had thought of her in less than professional ways.

He loved Kim with all his heart. She was the only woman for Ron Stoppable, and he looked forward to the ceremony the next day that would make that a permanent state of affairs. Still, back before they had found the way to voice that love, he had seen Shego as an extremely exciting woman.

Then she had shown up on Kim's doorstep; tired, alone, and vulnerable. They had cared for her, taken her in as family. Slowly, she became the older sister and experienced advisor that he and Kim had both really needed. Ron had put aside his old feelings for something more, something deeper. Respect.

Sarah Go had gone through levels of personal torture that he could only imagine, trying to find a place for herself in the world. She was making it, too. A teacher, a friend, and a colleague. She was learning to work with the team towards the common good. No longer looking out for number one, she put her own feelings to one side when there was a job that needed to be done.

It hadn't been an easy road either. In her first months as a member of Team Possible, she had been tested. Her students had been in danger from drug dealers working within the school she taught at. Her instinct had been to take bloody vengeance for what they were doing to her charges. At the last moment, she had come back from that darkness. She was becoming the woman that Ron had sensed in her so many times.

How he envied her the ability to come back from such horrible places!

A door quietly opened on the level below, bringing all three from their private thoughts. A shaft of light showed the layers of dust on the floor. Electronique slipped in through a narrow gap, and shut the door behind her quickly. Looking around, she saw that nothing had disturbed the dust; all was as it had been the last time she was here. She walked over to an outlet that had been modified so that she could draw electrical power from it.

"Time for a recharge."

She placed her hand on the contact, and waited for the surge that would make her strong enough to blast through any pursuit.

Nothing happened.

"Did you really think it was going to be that easy?" Sarah leapt from the beam and landed easily not more than five yards from the villain. She came up in a defensive position, a tiny glow around her hands. "The power was cut to that outlet the minute we got into the building."

"We?"

Without a sound, Ron dropped from his perch, landing on the direct path between Electronique and the exit. Brown eyes looked out from under the cowl. He too had taken up a martial arts stance, this one low to the ground, balanced but ready to spring in any direction. This was Tai Sheng Pek War; monkey Kung-fu, with its emphasis on footwork and agility.

"And where is the famous Team Go, then, Shego? Last time we met, you were with your brothers. Decided to trade up a little have we?"

Electronique threw a sizzling bolt of electrical energy at Sarah. While far below the strength that she was capable of producing, it was still enough to be a threat. Sarah did a back flip that would have rivaled one of Kim's cheer squad maneuvers, avoiding the attack. She countered with a shot of plasma at her opponent's feet. She wasn't prepared to injure the prey; she just wanted to let her know that she meant business.

Ron moved in from one side, preparing to sweep the villain off of her feet. She saw the attack coming, and turned a charged hand on him. Suddenly, he was glowing blue, and what was meant to be a crippling blow became nothing more than a feeble fireworks display. Above the material covering his lower face, the eyes were no longer brown. They too were glowing a bright blue. He took another step forward, one hand outstretched in a "come on" gesture.

Sitting between two people with extraordinary abilities, Electronique decided to fight the familiar first. She ran for Sarah, and started swinging her fists, no longer trying to project her powers. Instead, she was trying to land a stun shot directly.

Sarah had kept up her martial arts training since getting back into society. She parried blows and sidestepped lunges. She did not use her own powers, but instead let her opponent wear hers down.

While the two women were battling it out around the middle of the room, Ron moved over to cover the exit again. Looking up to the rafters, he nodded.

Rufus gave his friend thumbs up, and went over to the Kimmunicator that had been left lying on the heavy beam. He hit the button that would send the signal to Kim back in Middleton. She would call Agent Will Du, and Global Justice would have the place surrounded. So far, things were going just as they had planned them back in the conference room. Turning back to the scene below him, Rufus watched as Electronique began to edge towards a number of ten gallon drums. His eyes went wide as he saw what was on the labels.

Squeaking and chirping like mad, he jumped from his post and landed on Ron's shoulder, pointing to the steel drums.

"Sarah, stop!" he cried.

At that moment, Electronique put a hand on one of the containers. "That's right, Shego, stop. One spark and the fuel in these things will blow us all to pieces."

Sarah lowered her hands.

That was all the villain waited for. Shoving the heel of her hand under the raven haired woman's chin, she let off enough power to stun her. Sarah fell to the floor. As Ron ran to catch her, Electronique dodged past him and made for the door.

"Hope you can stand a little heat, ninja boy!" She fired the last of her electrical energy at the first drum in the row. It flashed in an explosion, and the others followed rapidly.

Ron had gathered Sarah into his arms by then, and a powerful blue field enveloped them. Two humans and a naked mole rat were quickly lost in the inferno, and the building collapsed around them. The cause of the disaster laughed as she ran off into the distance.

xx

Ron woke up with a throbbing in his head. Keeping his eyes closed, he focused on his breathing, and tried to replay the last few moments before he had passed out. He remembered running to catch the falling Sarah Go, and the bright flash as Electronique had detonated the drums of generator fuel. It would seem that he had gotten the protective shields his Mystical Monkey Powers created up in time. After all, he was alive to ache.

Rufus! Sarah!

Opening his eyes, he realized that there was no light. Without his sight, he focused his other senses, letting them take its place. First he felt the heat, and smelled smoke. Then he heard breathing, and an odd crooning noise. It was only then he realized his head was in Sarah's lap.

"Sarah, are you okay?" he managed to croak out.

A green light began to illuminate the space around him. Sarah had her hand open, palm up, a small ball of plasma hovering just over her palm. Her right hand was still brushing the unruly locks of blond hair from his face.

"Rufus and I are fine, Ron. Thanks to you. The fire flashed over whatever you did, and burned itself out pretty quickly in this area. I don't know about the rest of the building, but we seem to be trapped."

Rufus clambered up his friend's chest, nodding to emphasize this assessment of their predicament. He pointed around and shook his head, indicating that he had searched for a way out, to go and bring help to his teammates. No luck.

"When you passed out, I was worried. I don't know how you held on as long as you did." She looked down into his eyes. "Boy, did your family ever wind up with the wrong name."

"How long…"

"You've been out for about twenty minutes, by my best guess. Once the flames were past us, you collapsed. What ever you did to save our lives just about cost you yours." There was a note of awe in Sarah's voice. "Don't you dare ever do that to me again! Kim would kill me if I ever let something happen to you on a mission!" While she might have been joking with him, she was obviously very worried too.

"Speaking of Kim, did you try to call? They have to know that Electronique gave us the slip."

By way of an answer, Sarah held up the smashed remains of her Kimmunicator. It was obviously not going to be calling for the cavalry anytime soon. "It was crushed by a piece of debris, after the shield or whatever it was died. Yours is out there in the mess.

Ron pondered that one for a moment.

"Okay, so that explosion had to be pretty visible, and GJ was already on their way in. All we have to do is wait. Even Will Du knows how to handle a rescue in this kind of situation."

xx

Indeed, Agent Du had things well in hand, with a considerable amount of help. He and his colleagues had practically run into Electronique as they had scrambled to get to the site. She was so busy laughing at the damage she had done that she hadn't seen the three large bodies until they were on her.

Will had called in the local fire and rescue crews, and then reported to Betty and Kim, who were waiting back in the office.

Now he was directing a search of the wreckage. Noting where the center of the blast was, he figured that would have to be the best place to look for Stoppable. The young man had a way of blowing up lairs. If he dug in, he was sure he'd find something.

The Sloth pulled up just short of the blast zone. Kim, Betty and the two younger Possibles climbed out. Will checked his watch, and nodded to himself. Less than ten minutes. Given past experience, he'd known that Kim would move heaven an earth to be there to look for her fiancée. It's how she was built. It was something he admired about her, not that he'd ever let on in public.

Waving at the police doing crowd control, he called her over.

"He's in here, Miss Possible. They all are, and we will get them out, intact, or I'll turn in my uniform." Will meant every word of it too. Working with Team Possible and BlazeIt on occasion had confirmed that all things were indeed possible.

Jim and Tim had been scouring the site. They removed their backpacks and started pulling out equipment. They pulled on gloves, masks and goggles. Slowly and carefully, they analyzed the remains of the power house.

Kim had turned search and rescue missions over to the "Tweebs", knowing that they could handle it. Now, they were going to prove her faith in them well founded. Family was in that mess.

Without talking, they began working as a team to remove pieces of rubble. It was as if they were extensions of one mind. Without consulting each other, they knew which piece had to go next, and which ones had to be supported first. It was a giant game of pick up sticks. All that time picking apart their own little disasters paid off. Slowly, they cleared a little space around the epicenter of the blast.

Kim went after them. She lifted what she could, provided tools to pry and cut through metal. She held lights, trying to see in the growing gaps, looking for her love and friends. Every now and then, digging would halt, and Kim would call out. "Ron! Rufus! Sarah!" Everyone would pause, listening, hoping.

Late in the afternoon, many of the searchers were beginning to show signs of fatigue. The fire department had extinguished the last of the flames, and had begun to help sift through the pieces, knowing that three people were there, somewhere. None really held out much hope. The blaze had been hot and spread quickly. Most now considered it a recovery operation, rather than a rescue.

Kim worked on tirelessly. Her brothers watched her closely, forcing her to rest every few minutes.

"Come on, Kim. You told us we would be the rescue department of Team Possible." Jim put a gloved hand on her arm.

"Just follow us. You and Ron are connected, just like Jim and I. When one of us zigs…"

"The other zags." Tim completed the phrase. "When we get near them, you'll know."

They went back to pulling apart what had once been a large building. Shifting a particularly large beam, there was a sudden shout from Kim. Reaching down, she picked up a broken piece of electronics. Ron's Kimmunicator! It was broken, but it was there. She clutched the device as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

'Ron!' she shouted in her mind. 'You're out here! Tell me where you are!'

Closing her eyes, she began to turn about her. She could see the debris field around her, but, somehow, she could also see through it. Deep in her mind, she heard a voice. "Over here, Kim. We're trapped here." Turning just a little more to her left, Kim saw a slight mound.

"Tim! Jim! This is it, this is the spot."

xx

Ron, Sarah and Rufus were sitting in the little cave created by the collapsed structure of the power house. It was sweltering hot for the humans, and they had loosened their clothing as much as they could. Rufus, being a creature born for a warm climate, was in better shape.

"Ron, I think we might have a problem. The air seems a little stale in here to me." Sarah was indeed having trouble breathing. Her dust covered face was strained, and her eyes were becoming unfocused.

"Hold on, Sarah! We won't be here too much longer. Kim is coming. I know she is." He pulled the woman down beside him, putting an arm under her shoulders. "Just relax, and control you breathing, like when you are working out." Ron knew that panicking would only use up the good air faster.

They had been trapped for several hours now. Rufus had searched again for a way out, and when that failed, had begun playing with the shattered innards of the Kimmunicator that Sarah had held onto. It was a make-work project.

After another subjective eternity lying there, controlling their fears, Ron suddenly sensed something. It was a feeling of calm, of knowing where he was, and that everything was going to be just fine. That could only mean one thing.

'Over here, Kim.' he called out in his mind. 'We're trapped here.' He projected an image of himself, waiting for his fiancée, hands outstretched.

xx

Pulling the mound apart, the rescue party slowly made their way down to their trapped teammates. One large sheet of material was removed, and the missing were seen at last. Kim looked down into the small hollow. There was Ron Stoppable, stripped to the waist, his arm around an unconscious Sarah Go, her own clothing loosened and disheveled.

"Ronald Dean Stoppable, you've got some serious explaining to do!" It was all Kim could do not to break into tears of joy.

"Kim, you know this isn't what it looks like. It was hot, and the air was getting bad."

"I know that, silly." Reaching down into the tangle of steel and concrete, she grabbed his outstretched hand. "I'm just so relieved that you're okay. What about Sarah?" She waved in the fire crew that had rushed up with a stokes stretcher. Now she was looking into the hole, a frown of deep concern on her face.

"She'll be alright, Kim. I made her relax, to save the air, and I think she finally let the exhaustion catch up with her." Ron helped the Tweebs strap the now awake, but still groggy, Sarah into the stokes. "She'll be fine after a hot bath and a little sleep. After all, it's another big day tomorrow."

"Well, you aren't going anywhere except the hospital, Ron." Tim picked up Rufus, who had been watching the men hauling one of his teammates out with a critical eye. He deposited the naked mole rat into Kim's waiting hands.

"Felix will take you from there to your parents' house. He has been getting your stuff ready the whole time we've been here."

"That's why he's the best man, you know." Ron gave a devilish grin as he pulled his dirty shirt back on over his head. "He'll get me to the church on time, no matter what falls on my head."


	8. Committed

Usual Disclaimer: Don't own the rights, Disney does. Jellin', but living with it.

Finally, the day of the wedding is here. Sorry to leave it all up in the air so long. Fortunately, as far as Kim and Ron are concerned, it's still only the end of June in the year that they graduate from university. Otherwise, I'd be typing around the results of sixteen kinds of kung fu.

**Committed**

The last Saturday of June dawned warm and sunny, with just the slightest hint of a breeze coming down from the mountains outside of Middleton. The back yard outside of the Possible residence was in a high state of confusion. Young men and women were setting up tables and chairs, erecting privacy screens between the property and the streets. A large catering team was setting up by the patio.

Inside the house, Anne was putting a few last things into a small bag.

"So, why is it Kimmie couldn't get ready here?" James Possible was pacing around the master bedroom, alternately looking at his watch and the tuxedo that hung on a hook over the closet door. "I know that she'll be winding up at the suite in the hotel, but was it really necessary to have the gown shipped there?"

Anne closed the bag and shook her head. Honestly, men could be so dense sometimes. "There just isn't room enough here to get everything ready. Besides, the hotel is closer to the hair dresser, there is a nice little café where we can have a bit of lunch, and we really don't need you constantly looking in while all of us are getting changed." Now she smiled a little. "Which I think is your big hang-up. You don't get to see the girls getting into the gowns."

"Now that's not fair! You make me sound like some dirty old man. I just hate all of the waiting. It was bad enough when I had to wait for your father to walk you down the aisle. Where is it written that I have to spend my whole life waiting on the women in my life on the biggest days?" James was positively pouting now. He stopped pacing and stood looking out over the commotion in the back yard.

It did make sense though. After all, this left the Possible residence free for the people handling the reception. While a hall would have been convenient, this was going to wind up being a large gathering, given the fame of Team Possible. Besides which, it was far easier to control who would be able to get into this venue than it would a public one.

"Don't worry, James. The result will be worth the wait. Monique did a wonderful job on short notice." Anne thought about the dress that was even now hanging on the rack in the suite. "Think of it as a small gift to you, to see us all come down in those wonderful dresses."

Now there was something he could get behind!

He picked up the bag, and extended his hand to his wife. As one, they walked out of the master suite and down the stairs. Waiting at the bottom, her own bags packed, was Kimberly. She had packed everything that she would need for the honeymoon as well as what she might need for the day. The rest of her things would be staying in the guest suite, where she had been staying with Ronald. As far as James was concerned, this was just fine. At least he had that much left of his little girl.

Very noticeable on top of her bags was her beloved Pandaroo. Naturally, the gift that had so cemented the relationship between her and Ron was going to be going with her.

"I'm ready to go, Mom."

Kim met her father at the bottom of the last step. She looked up into his eyes, and a couple of small tears welled up in her own. She reached up and put her arms around his neck, pressing her face against his chest.

"Thanks for everything, Dad. I know you really never liked the idea of my growing up and all that." She sniffled a little bit. "Remember how you kept taking me to the space center on Booster Days? Especially that last time, when Monkey Fist tried to take Frederick." Pulling back, she looked up. "I told you then that even though I was growing up, I'd always be your little girl. That's still true. I might be leaving with Ron, but we will always be here." She placed her hand over her father's heart. "I'm still your little girl, your Kimmie-cub. Just don't let on to the Tweebs, huh?"

The threesome laughed a little at that.

"I always knew I'd have to let go one day, Kimmie. I'm just glad that I will be giving you and your child to the care of Ronald." Putting his arms around her one last time, he breathed in the scent of her hair, willing himself to hold onto that moment forever, along with so many others. "Better get going, ladies. The hair salon awaits." He walked over and picked up several of the bags by the door, and took them out to Anne's car, waiting just beyond the front porch.

As the car drove toward downtown Middleton, he watched from the sidewalk. Suddenly he sensed the presence of two others. Tim and Jim were flanking him, with equally wistful expressions on their faces.

"What's wrong with you two? This is a father-daughter thing."

"We didn't have the heart to do it." Jim sighed.

James looked at the boys and started to worry. The last time he had seen this look on his sons' faces, it had been because they hadn't taken the opportunity to rig Kim's car with a camera before a big date with Ron.

"Jim, Tim, just what were you thinking of doing to your sister?"

Tim scuffed a foot in the dust. "We were going to go through her bags and, um, alter her clothes." He continued to look at his feet. "We were going to print "Property of Ron Stoppable" on all of her underwear." At that point, neither young man could keep the grins off of their faces.

Jim looked over at his brother. "I still think we should have gotten hold of Ron's and had "Rockets are Go!" printed on them."

James tried his best to look angry at them for even thinking of such a thing. Then he recalled all of the times that his future son in law had lost his pants in the presence of his daughter. He broke out into a grin. "I have a better idea. We have a few hours before we have to get dressed for the wedding. Let's go pay a visit to the groom's family."

**xx**

It was later that afternoon. Ron was up in his bathroom, having a shower and shaving. Rufus was watching the process very carefully. After all, he had a large stake in the events of the day. He had been pulling strings, setting up situations for years, all for this day. He wasn't going to have his best friend going in looking any less than his best.

When they finally left the bathroom, they discovered a box on the bed, with a neatly folded card attached. It hadn't been there when they had gone in. Looking around warily, Ron went over and opened the card.

Ronald,

Please wear these on this special day. While we hope that only one other person will see them, we thought they were suitable, given your track record.

James, Jim and Tim

By this point, Ron was very nervous, and opened the box cautiously. Inside was a pair of his own boxers, as near as he could tell. The only difference was that his benefactors had altered them, so that they read: "Committed to Kim", just above a critical area. He grinned and gladly put them on. _"Well, at least they tell it like it is when they joke with me." _he thought to himself.

**xx**

The guests started arriving shortly before four thirty in the afternoon, since the bride and her party were due at five o'clock sharp. Wade, Jim and Tim escorted them through the narthex of the church, as was their duty as the ushers. There were a great number who could not be seated according to the tradition of "bride's family on the left, groom's on the right". So very many of them were people that Kim had helped since starting her website, rather than relatives. One was a strange character, dressed in a dark suit and leaning on a dinged and scratched black cane. He took off his grey Aussie hat and asked for a quiet seat out of the way.

In the sanctuary, off to one side of the main area of the church, Felix and Ron were fussing over each other's tuxedos. The bow ties in particular were giving them some problems. This time, Rufus wasn't handy to do Ron's for him, being out front, waiting for the bridal party, safely tucked away in James Possible's pocket.

Gene Stoppable tapped his son on the shoulder, and fixed the accessory for him when he turned around.

"I'm very proud of you, Ron. You have really turned into quite the young man." He fussed a little with the boutonniere in the lapel. "I just hope that your sister finds a young man who is as much a soul mate as Kim is for you."

There was a tap at the door. Reverend Davis poked his head in the door. "The limo has just come around the corner. It's time."

**xx**

Reverend Davis walked out before the alter, closely followed by his good friend, Rabbi Katz. They turned as one and watched as Ron came out, followed by Felix, who looked just as nervous as the groom. All four men turned and looked to the doors at the front of the church. Taking her cue, the organist struck the musical piece Kim and Ron had selected.

The doors opened and revealed Hana, standing in her pretty blue dress, basket of rose petals in hand. Standing on her shoulder, bearing a small pillow, with the rings attached, was Rufus. He was dressed in a tiny version of Ron's tuxedo, sewn by the careful hands of Monique. Hana began to make her way down the aisle, after a little prod from behind. At what was, for her, a very sedate pace, the five year old girl walked the distance to the altar, strewing soft pink petals before her.

Anne Possible was next to enter the church. She was dressed in a flowing gown of blue as well. Her hair was swept up and pinned at the back of her head. With misty eyes, she followed the little girl and was escorted to her seat by Wade, who then returned to the back of the church.

The bridal party came in, with the young women on their arms.

First was Joss and Wade. There were oohs and ahhs from the various people assembled. Slim, with Betty Director-Possible at his side, and Wade's parents exchanged glances. It was clear they were seeing this as a dry run for the day that that pair made their own walk into the future. Wade was looking trim and fit in his tux, and Joss was really lovely in the dress design that Kim and Monique had picked out. All of the bridesmaids were decked out in blue dresses that came just below the knee, with a fitted waist and narrow shoulder straps.

Next in line was Sarah Go, escorted by Tim Possible. Her long hair was pulled back behind her ears. A small emerald green pendant hung down, accentuating the V-neckline of the dress. From his place in one of the first rows, Drew Lipsky could be heard trying very hard not to drool. Tim was the envy of every young man in the church, being with her. He had grown over the last four years, and stood almost as tall as Sarah. His brown hair had been combed as straight as was humanly possible.

Jim stepped into the aisle, with Tara on his arm. Her blond hair was pulled back, much as Sarah's was. Where Sarah wore a green pendent, Tara wore a blue one. Jim was as well built as his sibling, now, and stood eye to eye with her. He was proudly walking up the aisle when he noticed a young man, a little younger than himself glowering. It was Ron's cousin Sean. It was clear the boy was jealous, and thought that he should have been in his place. Jim just grinned to himself, and cinched his arm a little tighter where Tara was holding it.

When the ushers and bridesmaids had taken their places at the front of the church, Monique made her entrance. Somewhere in the back rows, there was a clatter, as something made of wood hit the floor. When she looked, she saw the man in the dark suit picking up his cane, and blushing for all he was worth. She winked at him as she continued up the aisle, and he mimed a heart attack.

When the Maid of Honor had made it to the altar, the organist played the opening notes of the traditional wedding march. Everyone stood and turned to watch as James Possible stepped through the door, his daughter on his left arm.

Kim leaned slightly towards her father and whispered, "Last chance, Dad. If you hurry, you just might be able to get Ron onto that space probe!"

James just smiled at her and patted her hand. "Not a chance, young lady. He's family now. You're committed."

Slowly and deliberately, they walked down the aisle, the last few yards of Kim's life as a single woman. She locked eyes with Ron, and focused solely on him the whole time. This was it, what twenty years of her life had been leading her to, if only she had known it. Now everything was going to change, be just as it was supposed to.

Arm in arm, James and Kimberly Anne walked down the aisle. While all of her friends were watching her, she had eyes only for the man who stood before the altar. Through the lace of her veil, green eyes locked on brown. The trip was a blur to Kim, until she suddenly found herself being passed from her father to her soon-to-be husband. James kissed her through the lace, and went to sit with his wife. Ron took her hands in his, and they both looked at Reverend Davis and Rabbi Katz.

Since this ceremony was in his church, the Reverend opened his prayer book to the appropriate page and began.

"Dearly beloved…"

Sensei, resplendent in his robes, searched with all of his senses. Known only to him, Yori and a number of senior graduates of the Yamanouchi School were scattered about the church. Given the public profile of Team Possible, it had seemed wise to put precautions in place. The Chosen One and his mate were targets of many dangerous groups. Nothing must be allowed to interfere with this day.

From his perch, in the shadows in the rafters, Hirotaka watched the ceremony going on below. He scanned the crowd of well-wishers in the pews below. A movement in the back of the church caught his eye. Looking closer, he saw a man dressed in black, apparently having come in after the wedding party. He sat in a corner, putting something together. Hirotaka recognized an assassin when he saw one.

Turning, he signaled to another young man sitting in another patch of darkness. Silently, Tomaru Leung made his way to a point just above the intruder. Dropping swiftly, he put a gloved hand over the man's mouth and his other arm around his throat. With the application of pressure in a specific way, the man went limp, and was quickly removed from the church. His inert form was dropped in an alley a block or two away; his weapon permanently disabled and dropped behind him. The message was clear, no threat would be tolerated.

Reverend Davis and Rabbi Katz had gone on with the proceedings, never noticing the events happening in the church. Both spoke of the solemnity of the occasion, and the obvious love of the bride and groom. As one, they turned and asked of the assembled, "Who gives this woman into marriage?"

Tightly grasping one another's hand, James and Anne stood proudly. "We do, with our love and blessings." They looked at the young couple before them, thinking of all of the events in the years leading up to this point. It had been inevitable, even if the road had been a little rocky. The photos that had once hung on the stair wall in the old house flashed through Anne's mind, and tears formed once again. James reached into a pocket and pulled out a handkerchief that he had known would see use this day.

"May we have the rings, please?" Rabbi Katz turned to Felix, who held Rufus on his lap. Felix took the ring meant for Kim from the pillow, and gave it to the Rabbi, while Rufus jumped down with his little pillow and ran over to Monique. She took the ring to be placed on Ron's finger, and gave it to Reverend Davis.

"Ronald, place the ring on Kimberly's finger and repeat after me."

Ron slipped the simple gold band over the fourth finger of Kim's left hand. He held it as thought it might shatter if he let go.

"Kimberly, I give you this ring…"

"Kimberly, I give you this ring…" Ron followed nervously.

"As a symbol of my love."

"As a symbol of my love."

Reverend Davis gave the larger band to Kim. She put the ring on her love's finger, with a tremor. The woman who could calmly defuse bombs and slip through security nets was actually a little shaky.

"Ronald, I give you this ring…"

"Ronald, I give you this ring…"

"As a symbol of my love."

"As a symbol of my love."

The Reverend looked out over the congregation. "If there is any here who can show just cause why these two should not be joined, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace." As might be expected, there was a hush over the church, even the youngest child dared not make a sound. After a respectable pause, Reverend Davis turned to his colleague.

"Ronald Dean Stoppable, will you take Kimberly to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live with her, honor and cherish her, for better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live?" The middle aged man looked from the step he stood on, and was still only eye to eye with the young man he addressed. Ronald had indeed found the man within, and grown into that manhood physically.

"I will." Ron's voice rang out loud and clearly through the church. It might not have been said, but there was an unmistakable "Booyah!" behind his words.

"Kimberly Anne Possible, will you take Ronald to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live with him, honor and cherish him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live?" Anthony Davis looked at the young woman he had known for over twenty years, since the day she was baptized in this very church. She was a far cry from the little girl that had attended Sunday School way back then.

"I will." Kim lowered her eyes to the rings, shining where she and Ron had clasped each other's hands. She whispered softly to Ron, "As long as we both shall live." and only then looked up into his eyes again. A small tear ran down her cheek.

"By the power invested in us by God, our Churches and the State of Colorado, we now pronounce you husband and wife. What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."

Ron reached out and slowly lifted the veil that separated him from the face of the woman he loved. When he had pushed it back over her head, he reached back behind him, and Rufus, who had returned to Felix's lap, handed him a handkerchief, just like the one his father-in-law had just used on his wife. He gently dabbed Kim's cheek, and then put his arms around her and kissed her soundly.

To one side, the registry waited to be signed. All of the key documents were signed, and then the newly minted husband and wife were escorted again to the place before the altar.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is our great pleasure to introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable!" The church erupted into cheers as Kim and Ron made their way down the aisle to the traditional recessional fanfare. As they approached the back rows, the man in the dark suit leaned on his cane and bowed deeply. Stepping back, he silently mouthed the words, "Thank you, and congratulations." He then melted into the crowd. Somehow, he was never seen after that moment.

The wedding party erupted from the church doors, only to be met by some of the guests who had stepped out other exits. Bride and groom were showered with confetti and bread crumbs (rice now frowned upon) as they were ushered to the limo that was to take them to Middleton Lake for picture taking.

Picking up Rufus and placing him carefully into a pocket, Ron took Kim's hand and helped her into the car. When they were alone, and the car was moving, he reached over and kissed her once again, a long lingering kiss. "And that is just a down payment, KP."

"You better believe it, Ron!" Kim slipped her left arm around her husband, stretching it out so that she could see the ring over his shoulder. "You and I are going to be paying each other like this for a long, long time."


	9. Reception and Revelation

My thanks to all who have reviewed this story so far. It seems to be the most popular of all by far.

Further thanks to StarEva01, who painstakingly went over this chapter, and the rest of the tale, to make it something that people can enjoy. There can never be enough said about this man and his editing abilities. Only fair he get a lot of the credit for this.

My deep apologies to Kim for leaving her pregnant for so long! I swear it wasn't intentional.

As usual, I don't own the rights to the characters from the show. Disney (insert legal stuff here).

* * *

**Reception and Revelation**

After the photographer had completed her duties at Lake Middleton, the limos carrying the wedding party wound their way through the city. At every corner, well wishers who had been apprised by the press of the event waited to wave and shout good wishes to the happy couple. Kim and Ron were happy to oblige, waving from the open windows of the car. Totally absorbed in the happiness of the day, they were unaware of what was taking place around them.

The crowd was equally oblivious to the anonymous people who were blending with them. Hirotaka and his fellow guardians were following the procession. Unlike the ninjas who had served before them, these warriors used modern communications gear. They had changed from the traditional uniforms into standard street wear, becoming just average faces in the crowd.

The assassin that had been at the church was worrisome to Master Sensei. In all of their works, naturally the Chosen One and his wife had made very determined enemies. While the majority of his students continued with guard duty, a special operative had been deployed to look into the trail of the miscreant that had been deposited in an alley. The documents the intruder carried had been carefully memorized, and the young ninja would get information in as timely a fashion as possible.

The party at length reached the Possible home on the edge of the city. The lane was lined with people, waiting for the guests of honour to arrive. A large contingent of Middleton's finest was keeping anyone without an invitation from entering the property. Officer Hobble himself was at the foot of the drive, staring down the hoards of reporters and photographers. As predicted, the wedding had been headline news in several countries, and every service had somebody trying to get candid shots of the Stoppables. Several of the camera toting crowd snapped off shots, only to mysteriously have their cameras knocked away or the lens blocked. Some of the more persistent shutter bugs suddenly found their hands empty, and the expensive devices at their feet, all images wiped from the memory.

Several young people smiled back and forth to each other when yet another paparazzi would shout in dismay. Nobody saw them protecting the sanctity of the party.

Footmen held the doors and handed the ladies from the cars. In much the same order as they had entered the church, the wedding party walked through the house to the large French doors leading to the patio. As Ron and Kim were finally framed in the doorway, Felix pushed a button on the arm of his wheel chair and rose so that all could see and hear him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, all please rise for the arrival of Ron and Kim Stoppable!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, clearing an aisle down from the patio to the head table at the far end of the lawn.

A lovely white pavilion had been put up in the Possible's back yard. It was easily large enough to contain the guests invited to the reception. Martin Smarty had provided it, as a gesture of thanks to Ron for his service to the store, the defeat of Frugal Lucre and his rescue from Shego and Senor Senior Junior. It not only provided shade for the guests, but it kept anyone from looking in on the party from above. The business man was hoping to lure Ron into a position in his organization. With a business degree and bargain savvy, Martin Smarty knew the man would be an asset to the Smarty Mart Empire.

As the principles sat at the long table, a young man glowered from the seat he had been relegated to among all of the other cousins. The target of his angry stare was James Timothy Possible. Shawn was determined to have revenge on this guy for taking his rightful place. His mother had all but promised him he would be in the wedding party. Tara should have been hanging on _**his **_arm. The little wheels in his head began to turn. Oh yes, vengeance would be so sweet!

Tim saw a skinny kid sneak out of the tent from his spot near the end of the head table. He recognized the look on his face, he had seen it mirrored back to him from his brother when they were plotting yet another prank against their older sister. Excusing himself for a moment as Felix began his speech; he slipped out of his chair and set his napkin next to his plate. He followed Shawn at a discreet distance, and saw him pick up a sprinkler from where it had been placed near a fence when the crews had set up the reception area.

The boy slipped the device under the back wall of the tent in a place near where Jim was sitting, staying low so as not to be seen through the plastic windows that afforded a view of the Colorado mountains to the guests. He then ran the hose down the side of the pavilion, and kinked it near his own seat. Turning the water on, he returned to his place at the table, where he would be beyond suspicion with everyone paying attention to the wedding party.

And Tim Possible had watched it all...

Tim thought about it for a moment, and then went into the garage. He looked for the item he and his brother had brought home with them from the bachelor party a few evenings back. Ron had asked them to look after it, and that he would enjoy it with them after the honeymoon. Lifting off the cover grabbing a small piece of rope, along with a tube of fast drying glue, he pocketed a small remote and went back out to the reception area and made a few small changes to what the skinny kid had done.

Jim gave his twin a curious look when he returned, just in time to hear Mr. Stoppable finish his own toast to the bride and groom. "Where have you been? You've missed everything Dad said to embarrass Kim and Ron. She turned sixteen shades of red, and I swear I saw a new freckle appear on Ron's face, he blushed so hard." He kept his voice low enough that only Tim could hear him.

"Oh, don't worry; the entertainment is only just beginning." He intentionally left his response cryptic. It wasn't often that either of them could leave the other wondering.

As Jim was getting up to give his speech in honour of his sister and brother-in-law, Shawn reached down under the wall of the tent. Feeling around, he tried to find the kinked hose he had so carefully placed. At last, he found something that seemed to be the right diameter, even if the texture was kind of odd. Just as his grasp closed around it, Tim put his hand into his pocket and pushed the button on the remote.

The model of the BH3600 rocket took off with a load roar. The rope Tim had tied to it pulled taut, yanking the boy holding onto it out of his seat with a yell. When it finally came loose from the model, the rope dropped and the people helping Shawn up saw it stuck to his hand. Looking around, they found it was also tied to the kinked hose, along with a hand printed sign. "I tried to rain on the Stoppable-Possible Wedding!" it proclaimed.

"Hicka bicka boo?" Tim asked, turning to his astonished brother.

"Hoo shaw!" Jim raised his hand and gave his twin a high five. "Now _that's_ entertainment!"

Ron's aunt was completely mortified by the incident. Shawn had been unable to even come up with a halfway convincing lie since the rope was glued to his hand, and she was forced to recognize her son for the conniver that he was. All those years of relatives complaining to her and/or avoiding her suddenly came back to haunt her, and she excused herself before the dinner and went back to her hotel, dragging her son by the collar.

Eventually things settled back down, and the party resumed its traditional form. Toasts were made, gifts presented, and the bride and groom were unable to get more than three minutes of peace before glasses were clinked with spoons, indicating the guests wanted to see them kiss again.

Finally, it was time to eat. The catering staff began to serve the meal that had been so carefully prepared while everyone was mingling and waiting for the wedding party to arrive from Lake Middleton. Salad course, accompanied by an entree of roast beef and scalloped potatoes put the well wishers in a good mood. Even the small pea fight between the younger Stoppable cousins failed to put a damper on the meal.

As the expected desert was rolled out, Kim and Ron rose from their places and approached the table that carried the massive wedding cake. James made great show of passing the knife to Ron, who in turn passed it to his wife. Placing his hand gently over hers, they poised the knife over the bottom layer, waiting for the photographer and various relatives to snap pictures. When the flashes finally ended, they eased the blade through the soft layer of icing and into the chocolate below. At the insistent calls from those wishing to get a shot, they had to repeat the process, placing the cut cake on plates just out of sight of the cameras.

Finally, Ron retrieved the plate that held the first piece of cake and turned to face Kim. Then with a grin he picked up the cake in his hand and held it up to his wife. A small waggle of his eyebrow made her giggle.

"If that winds up on my face, Ron, you are so sleeping on the couch for the next six months!"

"Now KP, would I do something like that to you?" Ron put on his most innocent expression.

"In a heartbeat you would do that. Then again, the best defence..." She grabbed the slice of pastry from his hand and prepared to shove it into him. What she had not seen was him grabbing a small piece from the table behind him.

Then both went for it...

The audience roared in laughter as they both worked to pull the icing out of their eyes. Ron grabbed a napkin from the table and began to wipe his wife off. Swiping a finger through the white creamy mess on her cheek, he licked it and turned to the tables. "This is the best! Don't waste it like I did!"

With the meal complete, everyone eventually moved to the patio, where the bar had been set up. Once the crowd had moved out, the crews began moving the central tables and exposed the dance floor beneath, which had been brought into the back yard in sections. The extra chairs were set up in convenient places. A small band was set up next to the head table, in the space that had been occupied by the huge cake. When they had tuned up, Felix rolled up and borrowed the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you all to join me in calling Kim and Ron to the dance floor." The pavilion was filled with the sound of clapping as the young bride and groom, their faces cleaned of all cake, took their place. Felix turned to the young man who stood center stage holding the electric guitar. He nodded in return, stepped up to the mike that had been returned, and the music began. The musician sang...

_Look into my eyes - you will see,  
What you mean to me.  
Search your heart - search your soul,  
And when you find me there, you'll search no more._

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for.  
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for.  
You know it's true,  
Everything I do - I do it for you.

Look into your heart - you will find,  
There's nothin' there to hide.  
Take me as I am - take my life,  
I would give it all - I would sacrifice.

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for.  
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more.  
You know it's true,  
Everything I do - I do it for you.

There's no love - like your love.  
And no other - could give more love.  
There's nowhere - unless you're there.  
All the time - all the way.

Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for.  
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more,  
Yeah, I would fight for you - I'd lie for you.  
Walk the wire for you - yeah, I'd die for you.

You know it's true.  
Everything I do. I do it for you.

The band played its rendition of "Everything I Do" by Bryan Adams, as Ron and Kim danced in a slow circle in the center of the dance floor. Ron had begged Kim to let him choose this piece of music. From the day they had met in Pre-K, he had dedicated himself to his best friend. When it meant pushing her out of the janitor's closet to ask out Josh Mankey, he had done it. When following her meant walking into the lairs of dangerous criminals, he'd taken it as only natural. His very life was hers for the asking, and he would willingly lay it down for her.

Kim looked into her husband's eyes. She knew that Ron had her back. There were so many times that she had been tempted to quit, the cheerleading, the missions, just about everything, as it was all so overwhelming at times. Then Ron would be there. In his own way, he would remind her once again that all things were indeed possible, she could do anything. As long as he was with her that is. She had an odd feeling that without him, even with Wade and her other friends to help her, things would quickly fall apart, and one villain or another might win. She had watched him face his fears, each and every one of them, and had watched him overcome them. Now she knew how.

While Sensei watched the Chosen One and his partner move to the music, he sensed someone outside of the lights in the dusk of evening. He casually moved out and toward that sense. A young man dressed once more in the black garb of a traditional ninja was waiting in the bushes at the back of the property. He had easily passed through the security cordon of the Middleton police and Global Justice operatives. Only the school's own people had seen him.

"Sensei, we have found the trail of the assassin that was neutralized at the church. I think the Master is in greater danger than we believed." The young man pulled a small packet from his shirt and handed it to his teacher. It was essentially the transcribed notes of computer searches, and it caused the old man to frown deeply under his moustache. He dismissed his student and went back to the pavilion.

Sarah Go was on the dance floor with Tim Possible, doing the obligatory dance with him as a member of the wedding party. As they circled around and around, she smiled at the young man. He really was rather cute, kind of like her younger brothers at that age. That was when she felt something slide down her back and toward her posterior. The smile didn't leave her face, but it took on a distinctly new look.

"Tim," she said in a low voice that only he could hear, "if that hand goes any lower, you won't be able to use it for at least a month."

"Aw, Sarah! Can I help it if you look so nice in that dress?"

She pulled her hand from his shoulder, and eased back a bit. She gave him a smile that set his heart racing as she touched the tip of his nose with her fingertip. Just as her finger left his nose, a tiny ball of plasma energy ignited making her finger look like a green flamed candle. "And would you care to explain to your mother how you got burned for being less than a gentleman?" She chuckled warmly at him and let the energy fade away. "You're cute, kid, but it's not going to get you anywhere with me." Placing her hand back on his shoulder, they continued in their revolutions.

"Well, Kim tells us that you're spoken for anyway. Guess it's back to chasing around the girls at the mall."

"Don't worry, Tim. I'm sure there is a lucky young lady out there just waiting for you."

The song ended, and Tim let his hands drop from her waist. She suddenly leaned over and planted a small kiss on his cheek. She then went to the bar for a quick drink. If he'd been a few years older or she a few years younger... She let herself smile at the thought of showing him just what an older woman could teach him. Then she turned and faced the crowd, looking for someone special.

As she was searching for Drew Lipsky, who had been patiently waiting for his turn on the dance floor, she felt a small hand on her arm. When she looked, she saw a young Japanese girl, Yori, she believed her name was. She had a very anxious look on her face.

Yori had come dressed for the wedding in a red evening dress that was form fitting, and yet somehow demure at the same time. The red sandals had low heels, which allowed her to glide as easily as if she had been in bare feet. It was a far cry from the gi that she wore most of the time at Yamanouchi.

"Miss Go, please, Sensei wishes to speak with you right away. It is most important."

Sarah put down her drink and followed the young woman into the house. Passing through the living room and through the front door, they found Sensei sitting on the porch rail, balancing in the lotus position. In his robes, he looked like the archetypical oriental holy man. He raised his gaze to Sarah's face, and looked into her eyes.

"Miss Go, I am Ronald's instructor in the use of his Mystical Monkey Powers. I have asked to speak with you because you are a good friend to him and Kimberly. The Master and his family are in grave danger. We of Yamanouchi need your help." The old man spoke low, and yet his voice conveyed the distress that he was in. He held up his hand, and the packet he had received from his student appeared.

"My finest ninja students have been keeping watch over the ceremony and this reception. While Ronald and Kimberly were taking their vows, they intercepted a man who was sent to kill them. We have traced his origin." Sensei handed the papers to the green woman. "He was sent by a man that you are familiar with."

Opening the package, Sarah saw the picture on the first sheet. Her blood ran cold and she almost dropped the papers.

"Antonio Riveras." The name came out in a hiss.

Three years previously, one of her students had nearly been killed after taking drugs purchased on the grounds of Middleton Middle School. She had gone to her new friends, Team Possible, to try to root out the source. Following the trail of dealers, cooks and middlemen, they had found a man in Guatemala who controlled a huge cartel of businesses supplying drugs, guns and just about anything else that was illegal.

They had come close to taking him down, but his money and contacts in Latin America had seen to it he would never be touched. Still, Team Possible had made it very difficult for Riveras to do business for a long time. Now, it seemed, he was back to even the score.

"We must take steps to protect Ronald and his family. We do not wish to interrupt this important part of his life. Do not let anyone know what has taken place so far. Yamanouchi will watch over the Chosen One." Sensei looked around, seeing the guardians he knew were there, more with his mind than with his eyes. "You are someone that the Possibles and the Stoppables trust. Will you watch over them, to be sure that they do not become pawns of the death merchant?"

Sarah closed the folder and clutched it tightly.

"If anyone comes near these people, my family, it will be the last thing they ever do."

"Very good, Shego. Ronald's faith in you has not been misplaced."

Sarah was a little startled that this man knew so much about her. She decided that at some point she and "Ronald" were going to have to sit down and have a very long talk.

"Yori will be nearby at all times. If you need assistance, she will come. Young Hanna will be able to contact me if there is immediate danger."

"_A five year old girl is going to be able to conjure up help from ninjas? I definitely need to talk to... somebody." _Outwardly, Sarah nodded. She wouldn't count on a child, but she wouldn't let anything happen to any of the people she had come to love, and she thought she knew where she could get a little back up.

"When do we tell them that they are walking targets?"

"Sensei believes that we must give them their two weeks of their honeymoon." Yori spoke for the elderly man. "When they return, Ron-san will be ready to face the threat."

When Sarah looked back to the porch railing, the old man was gone. Yori gave a little smile.

"It is most, disconcerting when he does that, isn't it?"

"That doesn't begin to describe it."

Sarah and Yori returned to the back yard in time to see all of the single women gathering on the dance floor. Kim was standing next to the long head table, with her back turned to them.

"Oh, let's hurry; we don't want to miss the chance to catch the bouquet." Sarah grabbed the younger woman's hand and practically dragged her into the middle of the crowd.

"I do not understand. Why would Kim-samma choose to throw her lovely flowers?"

"It's an old tradition. The woman who catches the bouquet is supposedly the next to get married."

"A very interesting custom." The exotic woman looked at a table of Ron's friends. Ned Levinson sat with a bunch of other young men. He returned her gaze and winked at her.

Ned had been very understanding about her need to observe the proper decorum for a senior student of the Yamanouchi School. While he did not fully understand the nature of that institution, he simply accepted that she had to behave in a certain fashion. It had been one of the things that had made him so attractive to her when they had met on one of her visits to Middleton. He was willing to live with the fact that there were some things that she just could not tell him.

Kim took another look over her shoulder, to gauge where everyone was. Facing away once again, she flung the small bundle of roses and lilies over her head. Her aim was true, and it headed straight for Sarah and Yori.

There was a mad scramble for the bouquet. Yori leaped into the air, drew her knees in tight and somersaulted above Bonnie and Tara, who had turned and run into each other. She casually held out her hand and the sought after prize fell right into it. Opening up from her tuck, she landed just behind Kim, holding her treasure aloft. There were cheers from the men watching, and she bowed to the other women. Ned came out onto the floor to congratulate her, and she permitted him to hug her and gave him a peck on the cheek.

From his seat, Sensei observed his granddaughter and smiled. It might not have been the most lady like, but she had certainly shown skill. He might have had reservations about her relationship, but he put them aside when he saw how happy the young woman was. She had been so depressed for a short time when Ronald had informed her that he was seeing Kimberly. Some customs needed to be sacrificed, and cultural diversity only made a family stronger.

When the excitement finally tapered off, Ron stepped onto the floor, taking a chair with him. He extended a hand to his wife, and helped her to sit down. With a smile that would befit the most evil of villains, Kim made a show of crossing her legs while at the same time she hid everything. Bending down on one knee, , Ron carefully removed the shoe from her right foot and placed it beside the chair. Then, wiggling his eyebrows so only Kim could see him, he tickled the stocking clad foot for a second then carefully and very slowly ran his hands up under her dress and along her leg as he quested for a certain band.

Kim managed to control her reaction to his ticking her foot to just a slight reddening of her cheeks, but the feeling of his fingers caressing her leg like he was doing out of sight of everyone was putting her in a frame of mind that was best suited for a little later… like tonight. Outwardly, her only reaction to what his hands were doing to her was the look in her eyes took on a smouldering quality that burned into his, and placing her toes on his belt and wiggling them. Feeling his own heart rate rising, he finally found the lacy blue garter that had been given to her at her wedding shower. Removing his hand, along with the garter, he gave himself a moment to get back under control from their impromptu flirting. As Ron replaced the shoe back on Kim's foot, she wiggled her own eyebrows at him for a second. He whispered "later", then stood up as he pocketed this special garter and produced a second, not quite as lovely as the one that they would be keeping. He then leaned over to kiss his wife on the cheek and she whispered in his ear, "Oh you have no idea just what I'm going to do to you later." The whole time, the crowd had been whistling and cheering him on.

Promise?" he whispered back to her. He felt a shiver run up his spine as he heard her whisper back, "I promise Ron, oh I promise." Ron stood up and took a breath.

Saying a prayer that his reaction to Kim's words was not showing, he turned and addressed the single men in the audience. "Alright guys, form up. I want a good clean fight for this thing." He held the blue band over his head. "Just so you know, this thing has never been worn." There were a few boos and cries of protest at that. "C'mon guys, do you really expect me to share something that has been worn that intimately by my wife?"

He helped Kim up from the chair, and gave her another kiss. Pulling her into a hug and wrapping his arms around her, he whispered in her ear, "I'm looking forward to seeing you wearing that… and only that." Kim felt herself bush at the combination of her husband's words and the thoughts they brought to her mind. And her answer happened without her thinking about: "How about tonight lover? Me, that garter, and nothing else… except maybe for this pair of 4 inch spiked heels that I've got packed away…" Kim let her voice lower and purr a bit at the end, and felt his hug tighten for a second. '_I win_,' she thought as she held him, and still in a whisper said, 'Calm down Baby, I'm not going anywhere."

Ron held her as he forced calm onto himself. It wasn't made any easier by the guys starting to cat-call at him and Kim standing there holding each other. In another moment Kim kissed his forehead and moved around to hold the chair steady. Ron took one more second then he repositioned the chair that Kim had been sitting in before standing on it himself.

The men that had been cat-calling just seconds ago, now started pushing and shoving each other, trying to figure out where the band was going to go. Jim and Tim were doing a fair bit of tussling with each other. Ned had gone to the center of the group, right up front. Hovering around the back was Drew Lipsky. His girlfriend had to drag him that far, but Sarah wasn't going to take no for an answer. Yori had taken the first token of luck, and she wanted him to try on her behalf.

With a sense that few people in the room knew he had, Ron detected the small disturbance. A sly grin came over his face. Still facing the back of the tent, he looked down at Kim, who stood before him, holding the chair and ready to catch a hand in case he slipped. Consequently, she was the only one who could see his eyes turn from their normal shade of chocolate brown to blue. He bunched up the garter, and tossed it, almost casually.

Every man in the group began to jump for it, but seemed to hesitate. It sailed over Jim and Tim, who had paused in their struggle for the best spot, and landed in the unsuspecting hand reluctantly held out by Drew. The blue man merely stared at the garment, with a look of incomprehension on his face. Sarah ran up and took it from him, putting it on his left arm and kissing him soundly.

The ensuing laughter went on for several seconds.

Ron's family had great fun teaching everyone to dance the traditional horah, the circle dance usually done at Jewish weddings. The fast pace wore the participants out, and they returned breathless to their seats. The rest of the evening was spent listening and dancing to mostly contemporary music, and the younger set took control of the dance floor.

When the reception started to break up, the band played slow, romantic songs to wind up the night.

At last, Ron and Kim went into the house and changed clothing. Kim put on a comfortable dress and Ron a pair of slacks and a polo shirt. The gown and tux had looked wonderful, but had been very warm and by that time neither was ready to make even the short trip to the bridal suite at the hotel in the clothing. Anne would see that both the dress and the tux were dry cleaned and put into hanging bags in the guest suite closet.

When they left for the honeymoon, it was almost a repeat of the departure from the grad party the last year of high school. This time, they were taking Ron's midsize sedan instead of the Sloth, and he was driving. The well wishers followed the car from the curb out front to the end of the block. As they watched their friends in the rear view mirror, Kim and Ron took each other by the hand and travelled into this new phase of their lives together.


	10. From Dusk to Dawn Reflections

Once again, thanks to the people who have read this before I posted it. Constant vigilance is the price of decent writing. To the continuity cop (You know who you are!) I am greatly indebted.

Standard legalese applies. They own what they own, I own what I own. The line gets a little blurry in there sometimes, but the lawyers can hash it out after I'm dead and burried. (Which is a cheat, since I'm opting to have my ashes scattered. Bwah ha ha ha!)

* * *

**From Dusk to Dawn (Reflections)**

Ron and Kim Stoppable opened the large double doors to the honeymoon suite and pushed them wide. Ron threw the small bag that he had packed onto a chair in the sitting room. Kim was about to walk into the room, when he grabbed her arm.

"What's the matter Ron?"

"Tradition, KP. Tradition." Without another word, he swept her up into his arms and carried her across the threshold. Kicking off his shoes, he reached behind him with his left foot and hooked the door closed. He continued to carry his new wife across the suite to the French doors that opened into the bedroom and the massive bed that awaited them. Coming to stand at the foot of that bed he carried her into that room and put her back on her feet.

She was puzzled when he turned around and went back to the door. "Ron?" She watched as he walked over and opened the door. He pulled the small hanger from the knob on the inside and placed it in the key card slot next to the doors. Rummaging in the bag he pulled out a second, older style sign, which was placed on the outer knob. He was very careful to make sure that the signs were turned so that the words "Do Not Disturb" were clearly visible. Closing the door once again, he slowly turned the deadbolt, locking out the rest of the world.

"Wouldn't be good to have the housekeeping staff coming in here too early in the morning, would it?" he responded. "Besides, I'm under strict orders to make sure that you are the only one who will ever see these." Ron tugged at his belt, and in true Ron Stoppable fashion, his pants fell immediately to his ankles. As nearly as he could remember, this was the first time the manoeuvre had ever been done on purpose in Kim's presence.

Kim took a good close look at the boxers that her father and siblings had altered. At first, she just stared, with her mouth hanging open. Then she started to giggle uncontrollably. She rocked back and forth until the force of her giggling made her sit down on the foot of the bed. "Where did you get those things?" The words "Committed to Kim Possible" were indelibly burnt into her mind. "Wait, don't tell me. This has tweebs written all over it!" It might have been a trick of the acoustics in the suite, but her voice took on an almost loving tone as she said "tweebs".

"Well, you're two thirds right there, Kim." He went back to the chair containing his small bag. Reaching into a side pocket, he retrieved the note that had been in the box with his new shorts. Handing it to Kim, he sat next to her on the foot of the bed. She read it and then sheepishly looked up

"My family can be so weird."

"Our family, KP. Our family."

Ron reached for his wife and pulled her to him.

That Night

Sometime later, 3:10 in the morning according to the clock glowing on the bedside table, Ron rolled over slightly in the large bed so that he was lying on his side. In the dim glow that came from the bathroom courtesy light, he considered the young woman sleeping next to him. It had been a long road, but they were here at last.

If you had told him back in junior year of high school that he would be marrying his best friend in the world, he would have told you that you were crazy. It was still a little amazing to him that it had actually happened. It wasn't like the dreams that kept waking him that first year after the junior prom, and he prayed that if he was dreaming, he would never wake up.

Her head lay on the satin pillow, her long red hair cascading around her face like a halo. There was a look of peace upon her face that Ron had not seen in a very, very long time. For once, she wasn't resting up after yet another trip to save the world. Classes were done and over with, and she was eager to get started at her internship with the State Department. Even at rest, her face had a look of confidence about it, a look of faith in her world.

As he watched her sleep, he thought of her remarkable, steadfast belief in him. If he was unsure of how things were going to turn out, she would always have a word of encouragement.

When his mother stopped taking his calls from Camp Wannaweep, Kim had been the first person he called. She had heard him out, even when he had been hysterical. In school, she always volunteered to tutor when he didn't get something the first time around, even if it meant pounding her head on the desk in frustration. When he tried repeatedly to get the nerve to ask out Zita, she had been supportive, telling him there were no "rules" and to just be himself.

That was another thing about Kim. No matter who was seeing whom, she always had time for him. Sure, Mankey had been a bit of a strain on the friendship, but she still made time to be with him. When Ron had started seeing Zita, Kim didn't see her as a threat to what they were to each other. Then there was Erik, who looked like he could finally be the one to come between them. Yet even as that relationship had progressed, Kim had still tried to keep things cool between them. He recalled her in the tree house, sitting on the arm of the old beat-up couch, and saying, "Erik's not going to change what we're all about, we'll always be tight." It had taken him some time to completely understand just want she meant by that, but in the end he had figured it out.

The only time he had seen her confidence shatter had been the night of Drakken's plot to ruin Bueno Nacho and take over the world at the same time. He had stared at Kim, tied up next to him, waiting for her, praying for her to come to. When she did, he heard the last thing anyone would expect. "I've got nothing."

At that point, he was ready to chew through the ropes to bring her back. "Out there, in here." Was there ever a lamer confession of a guy's feelings to the girl he loved? Still Kim had found something in him and those four words that she felt was worth the fight to escape the bonds holding them. Looking through the lenses of hindsight, those feelings had been there, unrecognized all that time.

He had never been good at making friends, being a little odd. Kim had looked past it, and declared, "You're weird Ron Stoppable. But I like you." Rather than look further, he had decided there and then, in pre-k, that Kim Possible was going to be his best friend for life. Guys came and went in his life. Some were friends that meant a lot, like Felix and Wade, but no one could ever come close to what Kim meant to him. Rather than run out with the boys, Ron slept over at the Possible house. He listened as Kim told him the kinds of things that most guys would scoff at. She was going to change the world, and make it a better place than she found it. The gleam in her emerald eyes told him so.

Those eyes.

Beneath the soft lids, he could almost see them. One moment they would sparkle with amusement, and a heartbeat later could blaze with anger. Her eyes were so expressive.

Once, Shego had made the mistake of being a little too rough on Ron in a fight, one of the rare occasions that Kim had her hands full elsewhere, and he had to deal with the henchwoman. When he had yelped from the plasma burns across his backside, Kim had dropped the device she had been working with , a rather sophisticated doomsday machine for Drakken, and stormed down on Shego. Her eyes had blazed a trail across the lair, and promised that an extreme amount of pain was forthcoming. Yet still those eyes had radiated concern and an unspoken love as he was being examined at the hospital later that day, after yet another lair had exploded.

Lowering his head to rest on his arm Ron chuckled lightly to himself, thinking about the way she would roll her eyes at him in exasperation. Once in a while he would intentionally tell a lame joke just to see the expression. She would growl under her breath sometimes, and then he would know that he had gone too far. He would look down and think about what he had just done, and then look back in apology.

He finally gave in to the urge to reach out and touch her soft skin, laying one large hand gently on her arm. Her skin was so soft, almost glowing against the light covers. In the depth of her sleep, she smiled and moved a little closer to him, almost as though to encourage him.

Encourage him...

Kim was always encouraging him to be everything he was capable of. She tried her best to be patient about explaining things to him, and in return, he pushed himself as hard as he could to make her proud of him. He had only wished that he wasn't holding her back. At graduation, he had worried that she might leave him behind, that she was headed to the stars, while he was stuck on the ground. He was ready to let her go, but she told him she loved him, and he found the strength to defeat Warmonga and Warhok, who would take her from him and the world.

It was so easy to give for this woman, because she gave so much of herself. Sure, the thrill of the missions were a big part of who she was, but that wasn't even the half of the joy she found in helping others. Just being there when somebody needed a helping hand the most, that was who she was, her reason for being.

She was always the first to volunteer for community work; be it when the Children's hospital was looking for somebody to entertain the kids, or park clean up, Kim's was the first name on the list. She worked with her parents at Halloween events (With the exception of the night she flaked to be with Josh Mankey.) and helped with food drives for Thanksgiving. Over half of the Middleton High School committees would have fallen apart without her.

He remembered those few days that he had spent in her body. It seemed like every other faculty adviser was pressuring Kim about something, not to mention the student body constantly looking to her for leadership, whether it was on the cheer squad or planning dances. It was a wonder she ever had time to hang out with Ron.

That was yet another thing about Kim Possible. She would make time for people "the rules" considered below her standing. He nearly laughed recalling the interesting rumour about how she had sat in detention painting big Mike's nails, with the other "losers and slackers" hovering about waiting their turn. They had all taken to following her around, acting as unofficial bodyguards for days. It might not always have been easy for her, like the way she had fumbled for words when she first met Felix, but she always learned to find the good person on the inside. After all, she had even found the true Bonnie under that hard shell, sometime after graduation.

There were so many reasons to love Kim Possible. Why had it taken him so long to admit to himself that he did have such deep feelings for her? He'd even blurted it out to Shego in Drakken's lair while searching for the book he had borrowed.

Yes, it had been a long road, but they were here at long last. In the end, the destination had been so worth it.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"I'm glad I came to my senses, KP. Good night, Mrs. Stoppable." He snuggled down next to her, and fell asleep with a small, contented smile on his lips. His hand slid down her arm, their fingers becoming entwined as they slept.

The Morning After

Kim Stoppable woke up as the first rays of sunlight filtered into the honeymoon suite. Leaving her eyes closed, enjoying the soft bedding, she felt the warm body next to her. The gentle breathing of her husband was soothing. If you had told her that she would one day marry her best friend since childhood, she would have given you her mother's business card and suggested an examination. It was still a little amazing to her that it had actually happened. She had wasted years looking for what she had lying by her side, and she was regretting every moment. Turning on her side, she opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ron."

The words fell softly in the dimly lit room. Kim leaned over to look into the face of the man she loved. For the first time in months, there was no strain of deadlines, decisions or compromises. There was a slight smile, almost his usual goofy grin. Blond hair lay on the white satin pillow. His hands lay on his chest, almost as if in prayer.

Those hands.

Those big hands had hefted her up cliff faces. Strong enough to get hard jobs done; they had been gentle, just seconds later, giving her the emotional support that she needed in a tight spot. Those hands knew how to massage even the worst aching muscles, how to relieve all of her pent up worries and fears. With just one finger on her chin, Ron had been able to bring her out of even the worst funk. From the time that she first got her braces, to the abduction by the Lowardians, those hands had been ready to catch her if ever she fell.

She had fallen the night of the little Diablos. Drakken had finally found the way to beat her, with that abomination he had created as a distraction.

Erik. How could she have fallen for that? Sure, he had seemed perfect at the time, but only because her arch nemesis had played to her weaknesses, what she had believed were strengths. All the time, Ron was there, watching her back. Even as he was in pain over the thought of losing Kim, he had wanted only what would make her happy. He had stepped aside for what he thought was the guy that Kim wanted, not even going to the junior prom.

Then she was duped by the synthodrone, and shocked unconscious. When she woke up, there was Ron, tied up tight next to her. "I've got nothing.", she had said in a world of self pity. He had woken her up. "Out there, in here." Could four words ever have meant more?

It was then that she realized that what she had been craving for so long had been right under her nose. Somehow, she had been blinded, and his admission had pulled the blindfold from her eyes. All of the little things that he had done since they were four finally came into perspective.

He had been at her side when the tweebs were born, shattering the family life that she knew. Ron had reminded her that she was always going to be her parents' little girl, no matter how big the family got. She was important. Now she understood that he had meant that she was important _to him_. Being a card carrying member of the cootie patrol, he just couldn't say it.

There were all of the camping trips and sleepovers. Kim had never really thought about them until that moment, and now she saw them all again. Ron just wanted to be near her more than anything else in the world. Even though they were so different, they still managed to always have a good time together. She had many friends as a little girl, but none of them as close as the weird boy she had met in pre-k. When other girls were gossiping with each other about nonsense, she was telling Ron her deepest hopes and secrets. They had stayed up late watching movies on her living room floor, and she had told him that she wanted to change the world. He had just looked at her with those puppy dog brown eyes of his and told her that she would, that she could, as her father insisted, do anything.

Those eyes. Looking at his face now, the eyes were closed. How Kim wished that he would wake up and look at her again.

He rolled over onto his side, facing her, his hand never leaving hers, as if even in his sleep he was afraid to ever break that connection. Looking directly into his face, she could remember his eyes, the expression in them, even more vividly.

They had been out on yet another mission, and this time Kim hadn't been quick enough to duck as the debris of still another of Drakken's lairs rained down on them. (How did he ever manage to pay for all of these places?) A shard of glass had caught her in the back, just enough to tear her shirt and cause a good deal of bleeding. Ron's eyes had looked at the wound and all of the light just went out of them. He had stared at her the whole time she was being cared for by the doctor, his brown eyes wet at the thought of how close he had come to losing her as his best friend.

The night of junior prom, his eyes had danced and sparkled in the dim lights of the school gym. She had fallen into the depth of those orbs, surrounded by the feeling of love that came from him. At that moment, she realized that it had been in those eyes all along, and that she had wasted years looking for it in other places.

Ron would cast his eyes down to his shoes whenever she yelled at him. Then he would raise them again, looking for all the world as if a small part of him had died. She had never apologized to him for all of the times she had belittled him for the smallest of errors. Kim couldn't begin to count the number of times she had growled his name as if it were a curse, instead of the blessing that it really was. How often had she rolled her eyes at his attempts to raise her spirits with a lame joke? He simply looked away for a moment, and then came back at her with that mournful look in his deep brown eyes.

Why had she wasted all of that time complaining about his minor faults? It wasn't like she was perfect either. He had always done his very best, just so that she could do what she wanted. He pushed himself beyond his limits, to be there when she needed a helping hand or a distraction. Why had she ever thought that he was slowing her down? If anything, Ron had always pushed her on, giving her words of encouragement, words that she had taken for granted. Many times she had put extra flair into her movements, just to hear him tell her how wonderful she was. How self-centered she was! Now she realized that she had needed him if she was to do anything.

Lazy. Kim had actually called him lazy. The man who climbed mountains and towers to help her save the world. Lazy? A guy who took the same advanced level classes as she did, just to be with her, even though he had to struggle just to pull in a C. Lazy?

Ron was the most committed man she knew. He had promised to always have her back. When she had first started the website, he had just automatically gone with her to every assignment that she took on. From the deactivation of Mr. Paisley's security system to the defeat of Warmonga and Warhok, he had been at her side. Even when facing his greatest fear, monkeys, he had always come through. She had just assumed that he would always be there. Could she say the same?

He was committed to more than just the missions. When she thought about it, Ron had always been about family.

When Hanna had come along, he had rejected her at first. Then, he suddenly became everything a girl could want in a big brother. He had played with her, held her when she fell and hurt herself, even put himself between "the intruder" and Monkey Fist.

The twins had been more than just her little brothers. They were his as well. He played video games with them, watched wrestling with them. When she was yelling at them about their little inventions, he was pointing out how well they had designed this part or that one. It was like they had two older siblings.

He had even put himself in danger, posing as her father to foil Drakken's plans to get even with his former college classmates.

He even committed himself to things that he didn't really want to do. His work at school was a big priority, not that you could tell by the way he acted in class. The books were always with him when they were travelling for missions. It might take him time to get started, but assignments always got done. When Kim just had to have that green jacket from Club Banana, he had gone to work with her at Bueno Nacho. Why hadn't she seen the devotion back then? He'd even used his bonus to buy her the jacket. Had she ever really thanked him?

All those years, he had dedicated himself to helping her, and making himself a better person. She had let it all slip by, unnoticed, unacknowledged. Now, as he lay before her, all of these things became so clear to her. _"Why did I waste so much time, Ron? Why couldn't I see what I had all the time?"_

She laid her head down on his shoulder, looking at his hands. A small tear ran down the side of her nose, and she sniffled.

Ron reached up with one of his large, gentle hands, and brushed the tear away. He turned his head to look at her, and she fell once more into those deep brown wells that were the entrance to her own personal heaven. The ring that symbolized his commitment to her shone on his left hand.

"Don't cry, KP. We have a whole lifetime to make up for lost time."

Finally letting go of her hand, Ron put his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. She let herself fall into that special spot, her head resting in the hollow of his shoulder. Her hair streamed over his arm and down along his side, just as it had that morning in her apartment, just over two month ago, when they had first woken up from a night of loving one another. They lay next to each other, drawing strength and comfort from the contact.

Troubles would come and go, but both Kim and Ron knew that as long as they lived, they would ride out the storms, together. And indeed, all things were possible.


	11. When Trouble Comes Calling

I hate to do this to the readers, but Kim and Ron will not be appearing in this chapter. I've decided to leave them alone on their honeymoon, under the watchful eyes of the students of Yamanouchi. What we have is a continuation of the sitch described by Sensei at the reception.

As usual, I don't own Kim, Ron or any of the canon characters. I've just "secret borrowed" them for a bit.

My continued thanks to all who have read and reviewed so far. Your patience with my slow update rate is greatly appreciated.

* * *

Sarah Go was sitting in the trees out of sight near the Stoppable house. She had been here for the last two nights, since Kim and Ron had left for their honeymoon. So far, her vigil had been long and quiet, which was just how she wanted it. If the old man in the robes was right, there would be a fight soon enough.

It had been hard deciding to watch over the Stoppables, rather than Kim's family. What it came down to was the presence of Hana. The Possible household was made up of adults, even if the boys were still in their late teens. They could be expected to care for themselves until help could arrive. Here, there was a five year old girl to be considered. If Riveras really wanted to hurt Team Possible, they would strike the most innocent first. Sarah intended to make it the biggest mistake the drug czar would ever live to regret.

She hadn't left the Possibles unprotected either. Her back up had come through for her again. If something happened at the house, it was a fair bet to consider the threat neutralized before anyone knew what was happening. After all, this was her second family at stake.

Shifting position, Sarah watched as the light in the den went out, and Eugene Stoppable finally went to bed. Creeping closer to the edge of the yard, she stayed in the shadows, but watched the back of the house. This was where she would have broken in back in her days as a mercenary and thief. She figured that anyone up to no good would have the same idea.

For a couple of hours, nothing at all happened. It was getting to be hard just staying awake, much less alert. At a few minutes after two in the morning, there was a snap in the brush off to her right, from the direction of the path that lead to the old tree house and from there to a bike path. The snap was followed by some rustling and low cursing in Spanish. From out of the trees, eight figures emerged.

All eight were dressed in dark clothing, with dark cloths pulled up over their faces, after the fashion of bandanas. Dark knit caps were pulled over their heads, to further conceal their identities. Given the noise they were making, these men were not trained in infiltration. The varied weapons hanging from their belts implied that they were more along the lines of hired muscle, used to getting the job done through brute strength and intimidation. Even as she watched, she could see that leadership in the group was not determined by ability and respect, but instead by who could do the most damage to the others.

As the darkly dressed men were gathering around the sliding glass door that went from the den to the patio, Sarah stepped out of her hiding place in the bushes. Her hair, drawn back into the long braided plait that she wore now for training and missions with Team Possible swung slowly from side to side between her shoulder blades. Silently, she approached the group, marveling at their stupidity. Nobody had gone to the front of the house to cut off escape. Not one of them even looked around, to be sure that they were not being observed.

Grinning evilly to herself, she walked up behind the group. This was going to feel so good! As the leader was getting ready to break the glass in the patio door, she tapped the shoulder of the nearest goon and cleared her throat.

xx

Across town, at the Possible residence, the light had finally gone out of the upstairs window. The eight men packed into the unmarked van down the street muttered. They had thought to be inside and doing damage an hour past. What teenage boy studied until almost two? Mind you, none of these people had been inclined to study more than the fastest way to turn a buck in the slums of Guatemala. A couple of them could not even read.

Filing out of the van, they stretched and checked the weapons they had chosen. One family, none of whom was expecting to be captured and held, what challenge was that? Still, orders were orders. They quickly made their way to the back of the house, to go about their business unobserved. They might have been told to capture, not kill, but that didn't preclude a little... fun. Especially as regarded the woman of the house. One man in particular had anticipated this moment while casing the place.

In the rush to get behind cover, none of the men in black clothes noticed that a small red light was flashing on a small box attached to a corner of the house. A relay in the house went off, and a computer came online. The sensors that hooked into it made note of the unknown people moving about the yard that had only recently been the site of a gracious reception. Nothing so welcoming awaited this gathering.

As the system was getting ready to snap into action, there was another movement. Along the eaves of the house, a tiny figure walked around the corner. The purple clad man, all of four inches tall, had been at the far side of the house when the invasion began, walking the perimeter of the roof. If anyone had bothered to look, they would easily have mistaken him for a squirrel. Menlow Go put a hand to his ear. He touched the small radio bud that nestled there. (It had shrunk along with the rest of his costume.)

"Wegos, we're on!" Mego didn't have to whisper. At his current size, his voice wasn't likely to carry to the men below.

"We're ready, Mego. On your count." Wes responded from his hiding place in the bushes across the street.

"Plan Alpha, like you called it Mego." William whispered into the radio in his right ear. He was in the brush by the back fence. His red uniform blended well with the new rose buds of James Possible's prize roses.

Mego watched as the lead infiltrator raised a tire iron and broke the glass of the french doors that lead to the interior of the house.

The sensors in the house made note of the sound, and, in accordance with the security program, security doors began slamming down around the house. All of the lower floor entrances were barricaded with thick steel. At the same time, security lights attached to the soffits of the house came on, bathing the property in light. An alarm went off within the house, audible through the open windows of the bedrooms.

"Capture plan alpha, now!" shouted Mego. He then grew to his natural size, and stood over the dazed and confused rabble below. As they had planned, the Wegos began to multiply themselves. William and Wes each ran into the open, and the multitude of red clad young men formed a great circle. The men reached for their weapons.

xx

The man that Shego had tapped turned. What met him was the heel of her hand, right under his nose. With the blow that landed, he was forced back into his compatriots. They shoved him back and all drew weapons. Guns, knives and clubs were all in hand. Instead of turning and running, as they expected, the woman just laughed.

"Okay, guys, I guess we do this the hard way."

Shego backed up three paces and then stepped into a high leap. She came down on one man in the middle of the group. The impact on his right shoulder forced him to drop the gun that he carried. There was a very audible snap as his collar bone was cleanly broken. He howled in pain and anger, but collapsed helplessly to the ground under her weight. The others turned in toward the unexpected threat, the firearms now useless at such close range. Odds of hitting a colleague, or conversely getting hit, was too great.

Backing out to arms length, each man who could raised a blade or club against the woman in black. With a mighty kick of her left leg, she swept around in a circle, her right boot connecting with fully half of the weapons that were pointed at her. The other men ducked, or backed a little farther away. As her foot came down, the men rushed Shego in a mass of fury.

What they could not see was the small figure looking out of an upstairs window.

Hana had heard the sound of her Aunt Sarah's voice. Crawling out of her bed, she had gone to the window and watched as she bravely attacked the bad men in black. Now she saw her brother's good friend in danger. She reached deep into her mind, and called to the help that she knew was near. Her thoughts touched those of an old man in a hotel in another part of town, and a young woman, hidden high in the trees behind the house.

Her message sent, Hana quietly opened her window. Without a moment's hesitation, she leaped from the sill, and landed silently behind the group of men. She then jumped onto the back of the first man she saw. He tried vainly to dislodge her, but received a buffeting about the ears. The blows were enough to leave him staggering, and the little girl left his back and jumped onto the next nearest man.

His comrades tried to grab her, but she simply dodged their hands or slapped them away as if they were annoying bugs. This man she half strangled with one arm. The blows meant for the girl began to land on him instead, and a club knocked him senseless.

Shego took advantage of the confusion and began throwing punches. Slashes that came too close for comfort were dodged, but three men armed with knives in close quarters were a bit more than she was really up for. Still, she refused to back down. These men were planing to hurt her adopted family, and she simply wasn't going to allow that.

When they realized that there was no chance of quietly grabbing control of the Stoppable house, the attackers tried to make a run for it. They all ran for the path that they had taken onto the property. In the brush, they had to slow their pace.

The last man in the line gurgled quietly as a young man in the uniform of a ninja grabbed him and rendered him unconscious. One by one, the intruders were incapacitated. The last met a smaller ninja that landed in front of him from the trees. He grinned and pulled the large knife that was strapped to his thigh.

The small ninja removed her cowl. Her enemy would see the face of his doom. Yori reached behind her and pulled out a red fan, the twin to the gift she had sent to Kim on the evening of her bridal shower. As she watched the grin on the man's face grow, she flicked it open, revealing the steel tips, razors thirsty for his blood. The grin disappeared, and the color drained from his face. He dropped the knife and raised his hands in surrender.

xx

By this time, the lights and alarms had woken the Possible family. The twins each poked a head out of a bedroom window. Jim, who's room faced the back yard yelled to the rest of the family. He was looking down on the crowd of Wegos that were surrounding the house. A few feet to his left, a purple blur fell to the ground, Mego, on his way to help his brothers. He yanked his head back in when one of the men in black started getting trigger happy.

Tim raced into his brother's room from the bathroom that connected them. James and Anne had heard the shot, and ran to their son, thinking that he had been seen and fired upon.

"We gotta do something, or one of those Wegos is gonna get hurt. Even if they don't get the original, it's going to hurt, bad. And there's only one Mego." Jim pushed his mother away from him as she attempted to smother him in a hug. "If we can just find a way to get them to put the weapons down, the guys could overwhelm them with sheer numbers." As he spoke, his eyes joined Tim's looking at the shelves on one end of the room. Possibilities presented themselves. Both young men did the visual inventory, and then looked into each others eyes.

"Oh yeah, hicka bicka boo?"

"Hoo shaw!"

Mego and the Wegos were containing the intruders, but it wasn't getting any easier. Now that the guns were out and fired, the entire neighborhood was awake and potential witnesses. The men were desperate to escape before law enforcement got there. It was only a matter of time, so they pressed the attack. Mego was sporting a bruise on his jaw, and one of the Wegos was bleeding slightly. In fact, half of them were, from the same place. Fortunately, none of the hired muscle was smart enough to realize that all they had to do was cause enough damage to one of the men in red to force the original to withdraw the copies. Still, the injuries were taking a toll.

The Possible family scrambled, gathering the materials that they needed. A canister was fitted with four of the model rocket motors from Jim's shelves. A launcher was improvised from a cardboard tube that had held material from Kim's wedding samples. Inside the canister was a wad made from a number of lighting nets that normally went over the shrubs outside in front of the house during the holidays. Creeping up to the window, and setting up the apparatus, they slowly raised the sash. Peering over the sill, Anne guided the boys and her husband in aiming their device. Getting the attention of one of the young heroes below, she made a slight circling motion over her head. She was answered by a nod of the head.

One of the Wegos, it was impossible to tell which, yelled into the early morning sky. "Round 'em up!" As one, all of the costumed fighters began to tighten the circle. In the center, the criminals stood in a tight knot, back to back.

There was a loud whoosh from overhead. From the bedroom window, there was a flash, and the canister flew out over the yard. At the height of it's trajectory, the canister split apart, and the makeshift netting fell on the hapless criminals.

xx

In a honeymoon suite in Niagra Falls, the sun was just beginning to shine through the windows. Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable were both sleeping soundly, having enjoyed the previous day seeing the sites that the Canadian city had to offer. Spurning the tourist traps, they had gone to restaurants favored by the locals. By happy coincidence (if such were possible given his line of work) they met Joe, whose last name they never had learned. The CSIS operative had been casually leaning against a wall in the lobby of their hotel. They spent a couple of pleasant hours chatting with him about the adventures they had gone on since seeing him last

Since they had left Middleton, both had been conscious of being followed. They would turn abruptly, only to see a vacant space. After a couple of episodes like this, they realized who was tailing them. Only the students of Yamanouchi could even hope to disappear like that. Kim turned her eyes up to her husband's, and both chuckled lightly. Ron was mildly concerned, however. Sensei never did anything without a reason. As long as they were there, however, he knew things were going to be okay.

Now, in the morning light, both suddenly sat upright in bed. Kim was almost frantic. Ron was faintly glowing blue. Both had an image in their minds, pictures of dark men with equally dark intent. Looking at each other, they spoke in unison. "We have to get home, now!"


	12. Homecoming

This story is taking much longer to tell than I thought it would. I figured that by now the babies would have been born and I would have moved on to another tale. Not so fast. The chapters just spin out one twist after another.

My thanks to all who have read, reviewed and offered suggestions. It is always nice to see a story become so popular with its readers. Some of you have taken a great deal of interest in some of the strange places this story has gone.

Once again, I have to admit to myself that I do not own the characters from the Kim Possible cartoon series. So far, I haven't had any visits by the lawyers from the mouse company.

* * *

**Homecoming**

Ron went to the long term parking lot and got his sedan the moment he and his wife cleared customs. She went to the baggage claim to get their things, only to find them already sitting in a pile with a young Asian boy sitting on them. Kim looked at him for a moment, and realized that he could only be one of the students of Yamanouchi. She bowed formally to him. His returned bow was deep enough that she saw the back of his neck. It was a gesture of utmost respect, as one might show a superior or master.

"Greetings, Mrs. Stoppable. When we heard you were coming home early, Sensei ordered us to make your arrival as easy as possible." The young boy grinned and grabbed a nearby trolley to put the bags on. "It is my honor to take care of your things for you."

The Stoppables had known for some time that they were being followed by ninja students. They hadn't realized just how closely they were being observed, however. If Sensei was openly preparing things for them, then it was well that they had paid attention to the impulse that morning. Both had woken from a sound sleep with a sense of something very wrong happening. Kim had shoved everything into the suitcases, and Ron had gone down to the front desk to settle the bill.

Ron pulled up to the curb, only mildly surprised at how quickly Kim had collected their bags. He never saw the young boy who slipped away, melting into the crowd of Middleton's international airport. He helped his wife load the luggage into the trunk.

"Where should we go first, KP?" She might have taken his name when they were married, but to Ron, Kim would forever be his KP. "Should we maybe call somebody, find out what's going on?"

Kim pursed her lips for a moment, thinking about the situation for a moment. If anyone had been hurt in the visions that they had shared earlier in the day, surely Wade would have contacted them by now. They had left in such a hurry, neither had taken the time to call any of the family. Now, after rushing home, they found themselves in a hurry to do something, but having no idea what that might be.

Kim reached into her pocket and pulled out her Kimmunicator. When in doubt, she would call Wade Load and get a situation report. The touch of a single button put her in touch with the young man, who was apparently working with his own mobile equipment. There was a slight pause as the communications equipment at the Team Possible headquarters searched for his current location.

"Kim! I was just going to call you, we've run into a problem..."

"We know, Wade. Ron and I caught the first flight home from Toronto's Pearson International. Where should we be? Was anyone hurt?"

"Everyone is fine, Kim, with the possible exception of some of the guys Sarah and Hana took down at the Stoppable house." Wade got the most evil grin on his face. "At last count, three of the guys that tried to break in there are still in a Global Justice infirmary under heavy guard, and sedation." The smile disappeared. "How did you know something had happened? There hasn't been any news leaks, not yet anyway."

"Long story short, we both woke up with a need to get back." Ron piped in from over Kim's shoulder. "Decided it was better to just get here and not ask questions."

Wade thought about that for a moment. His scientist's brain was trying to wrap itself around something that was beyond the realm of anything he could detect with scanners and testing. Ever since the incident at the castle of Lord Montgomery Fiske, he had been trying to quantify the "Mystical Monkey Power" that Ron and Rufus had absorbed. No test he could think of registered anything. The closest anyone had ever gotten was a statistical analysis. Global Justice had scratched the surface with its "Ron Factor" study. What it all came down to was faith in something that just couldn't be put into clear numbers.

"I'll call Sarah and Team Go. They were the ones to take care of the attacks. How they knew to be there, I just don't know."

"Okay, Wade, we're going to stop at Ron's parents' house first and check on them, then Mom and Dad's. I'll call you from there and set up a time." She watched her husband close the trunk lid. "We'll see you at the office."

xx

Hana was the first to see the car pull in the drive. She had been staring out the window, taking note of everyone who went by. She had not concerned herself with the neighbors, but any stranger would be given a very close look. Her parents had given up on trying to reassure her that everything was okay, and that the family was perfectly safe. Only knowing that Yori and the other students of Yamanouchi were about kept her from running from one window to the next.

She gave a squeal of delight when she recognized the car. Before they could even open the doors, the young girl was bouncing up and down on the porch. Kim was out first, and ran over and picked her up. She hugged the little girl tightly to herself.

"Thank goodness, you're alright!" Kim kissed her on her cheek and then held her at arm's length. "Are your mom and dad okay, Hana?"

"Fine, Kim. They will be so glad to see you. The bad men scared them, but Auntie Sarah and Yori caught them." The girl dissolved into a short fit of the giggles. "I landed on one of them and tried one of Pain King's strangle holds. Didn't work as fast as it does on TV though." She jumped down and rushed past her sister in law, into her big brother's arms.

By this time, Gene Stoppable and his wife were walking out onto the porch.

"You're back! I didn't think you were coming back from Canada for at least another week and a half." Jean hugged her newest family member warmly, subconsciously looking down at her belly, to see if there were any changes in her appearance.

"We weren't going to call you unless we had to." Gene put a hand on Ron's shoulder, as he joined the group on the front steps. "We've been in good hands. How did you find out anyway?"

"We woke up this morning, just knowing something was wrong." Ron hugged his mother. "We saw images in our sleep, of men dressed in black, and a sense of danger to you and the Possibles. We booked out of the hotel so fast, we almost left in our pajamas."

"Well, you can see that we're okay, thanks to your friends and Hana here. She jumped out of her window to help Sarah. Which reminds me, we might want to think about putting an alarm on that window when she gets older. Wouldn't want her sneaking out with boys when she hits her teens." Gene chuckled a little bit. "I don't suppose you could talk to Wade or the twins about that sometime, could you?"

"No big, Dad. I wouldn't count on it doing much good though. At the rate she's learning ninja skills, she might just be able to get around them. Either that or she'll ask Sarah how she got around security systems back in her criminal days." Ron gave a sheepish little grin. "Knowing Han, she'll make it sound like an innocent question."

The family walked into the house, closing the door behind them.

Across the street, hidden from view, Hirotaka took note of the arrival. He sighed and settled back. The chosen one was home, and soon the problem could be taken care of properly by Team Possible. It was one thing for the ninjas of Yamanouchi to guard innocents, it was another to take up the fight unasked. It had rankled his sense of honor to let a drug lord threaten anyone, much less a five year old girl in the name of vengeance. He was bound, however, by his obedience to his master. Sensei knew what he was about. It had begun with Team Possible and Riveras. Fitting that it should come back full circle.

Even now, one of the graduates of the school was doing reconnaissance in Guatemala, the center of the web, but he would make no move against the spider.

When Kim and Ron had assured themselves that the Stoppables were indeed fine, they relaxed for a time, enjoying the first of many planned visits with the family. Jean made them swear that they would be there for supper on Saturday, that she was going to start cooking the instant she got back from services at the Synagogue. There was much hugging and rubbing of Kim's emerging baby bump as they made their way to the car.

As Ron was backing out of the drive, he took a second look in the rear-view mirror. He had been sure that there had been a motion in the shadows of the full branches across the street. He smiled and nudged his wife. "Hey, KP, take a quick look, six o'clock high."

Kim casually turned to the tree that had been behind them as her husband pulled out onto the street. Up in the tree, perched on a branch, was the familiar form of Hirotaka. She gave him just the slightest nod, and laughed at his chagrin when he realized he had been spotted. "Stop for a minute, Ron." She rolled down her window and waited. A couple of minutes later, the young man was standing next to the car, leaning against the door as if he had just happened to be strolling by.

"Your skills have grown, Kim. I've been in that tree all day, and the only person other than yourselves to notice me was Hana."

"Well, we knew you had to be around somewhere. Han said that you and Yori had captured the guys that managed to escape her and Sarah." She patted the hand that was on the edge of the open window. She was very grateful indeed to her friends.

"We did little, Kim. Hana may be small, but she is a very determined and talented young girl. Sensei hopes to still be headmaster when she is ready to begin her training. If he is not, he has given me very specific instructions, with the permission of her parents."

Ron leaned over a little, to better look at Hiro's face. "I don't envy you the job. She is a little dynamo. Controlling that energy is going to be tough. That and you will need to get somebody to wash the footprints off of the ceiling every couple of days." The grin shrank a little, and he put on his more serious expression. "Thanks again for looking out for the family, man."

Hirotaka stepped back and bowed slightly. "It is our honor to serve our master and the Chosen One." With that, he turned and strolled down the street, disappearing into thin air the instant that he was not being observed.

"Let's go, Ron." Kim sat back in her seat and enjoyed the warm breeze coming in through the still open window. "Let's go find out just how much of a mess our baby's uncles made dealing with the guys who tried to get in there." She knew that her father had spared no expense putting in the new security system, but she also knew her brothers.

xx

She was rather surprised to find the house exactly as it had been the last time they had pulled into the driveway before the wedding. There were no scorch marks from homemade rockets. There weren't any craters where the twins might have pulled down a satellite or two onto any unsuspecting attacker. The only sign that anything had happened was the police cruiser parked up the street from the Possible residence. Officer Hobble himself was sitting behind the wheel, watching what little traffic there was about the dead end street.

The couple stopped briefly to consult with the man, how had recently been promoted to sergeant. He informed them that the security system had done it's job, but that by the time he had gotten there, Team Go and the family had already apprehended all eight subjects. There had been a lot of cursing in Spanish as they were stuffed into the back of the large van needed to transport them. They hadn't been too forthcoming with information, even though several spoke fluent English. It was hoped that if one was confronted with an obviously angry Kim or Ron, they might let something slip.

Kim chewed at her bottom lip for a time, and said that she would get back to the sergeant on that. Ron had a thoughtful look on his face, and then thanked Hobble, saying that he might have a few ideas about interrogations as well.

As they were going up the walk to the front door, Kim looked over at her husband. There had been an odd look in his eyes when he was considering the questioning of the men who had attacked their family. Rather than the cold anger that she had expected, there was a devilish amusement. She had seen that look before, usually in the faces of her young brothers, just before they did something particularly devious and annoying. She would have questioned him on the topic, but the front door was opening as they approached.

"Kim! Ron!" Jim and Tim ran out and grabbed hold of their sister and brother-in-law. Kim was liberally hugged and lifted off of the ground while Ron was generally pounded with affection.

"Boys, take it easy. Remember that your sister is carrying your niece or nephew!" Anne shouted from the porch. She was assessing the slight swell in her daughter's belly. She had begun to show herself, at just over three months pregnancy. "I'm sure she knows that you have missed tormenting her for the brief time that she and Ron were gone."

"Is dad home? I really wanted to be sure everyone was okay, considering what we heard when we stopped by Ron's parents' place." Kim was looking around, as if expecting to find somebody hiding and threatening the family still.

"He's gone to work, Kimmie. We decided it was better to go on with business as usual, to show whoever is responsible that the Possibles cannot be easily intimidated. But don't worry, he's not exactly alone." She put out her arm to show them that she was wearing a Kimmunicator mark II, like the one Kim had carried on her wrist in her senior year of high school. The screen showed movement from a second unit, obviously on the wrist of James Possible, in some section of the Middleton Space Center. "None of us has been alone since you left from the reception. The boys swore they kept seeing the same man, over and over. Turns out it was a Wego in street clothes. I'm wondering about the new orderly at the hospital. He's big and clumsy, but his heart is in the right place."

Kim and Ron looked at each other. "Yup, that would be Hego, Mrs. Dr. P. You might want to clue him in that you know, and watch him around the delicate equipment. At least he'd be handy for getting patients around."

"Well, let's not stand around on the porch all day. I don't know about you two, but I could use a nice cold drink. Tim, Jim, grab their luggage and take it up to the guest suite, please and thank you."

After Mr. Possible had gotten home, they sat down at the dining room table, stuffing themselves full of the meal that Anne, Ron and Kim had been working at all afternoon. The Stoppables were there as well, making for a very crowded table. The drone of multiple conversations made for a pleasant noise as the food was consumed. Evan Hana managed to get into the discussions, mostly in the form of questions about the trip her brother and sister in law had taken to Canada. What had they seen? Where had they gone? Kim and Ron were also full of questions about the day to day activities of their family in their absence. While the attack of the previous evening was discussed, it was the normal things that held the most importance.

When at last everyone declared themselves full, Hana and the boys were put to work, rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher. (Hana was amused with the tale of Kim being told that the machine was in fact the family shower.) Ron and Kim sat in the living room with the adults, having a last cup of tea and calling for the anticipated meeting with Wade and Team Go. Ron had briefly stepped into the quiet office and mentally contacted Sensei, asking for somebody from Yamanouchi to be present.

"Do be careful out there, Kimmie." James said as he kissed his daughter. "We don't know for sure if we actually have all of the men who tried to attack us."

"Don't be such a worrier, Dad. If we run into trouble, I don't think we are going to be alone for long, not if last night was an example of how many friends we have." Kim stood on her toes to kiss him on his cheek. "Besides, what could possibly happen? I'm a Possible."

With that, Kim and Ron went to the driveway and got into the Sloth, being much better suited to a trip to the Team Possible headquarters. Over the last five years, the twins had gotten together with Wade to update the systems of the car. It was a veritable rolling defense platform, with countermeasures for just about any kind of attack. Kim slid behind the controls and marveled once again at what had been created from the heap that her father had kept in the back of the garage for so many years. It was a family treasure now, with a little bit of each member in it.

xx

The Sloth pulled into the space reserved for it on the ground level of the large warehouse on the edge of Middleton. The building looked like a lot of its neighbors, with a brick and steel exterior. The large windows were also similar. What set the place apart was the number of security cameras and shielded satellite dishes. An old sign proclaimed the edifice to be the Thompson Print Company. Said business had not existed since the late 1980's. This was the home of Team Possible. The funding provided by Senor Senior, and sound investment of naco royalties, had built a headquarters worthy of a team that aided people in distress in a timely and professional manner.

In a couple of spaces set aside for visitors were a small rental car, of the sort that most businessmen would use for an extended stay in the Tri-city area. Next to it was a van painted in stripes of blue, purple, red and green. On a far side of the cavernous garage was the Team Possible Jump Jet and a rescue truck, similar to the ones used by most fire departments. As Wade and the Possible Twins were fond of tinkering, there was always some new piece of equipment being developed to aid in just about any kind of emergency.

A quick ride up in the elevator to the second floor of the warehouse brought Kim and Ron to the hub of Team Possible headquarters. A serene lobby divided the space. To one side was the communications department, staffed by volunteers. The newlyweds visited this section briefly, as was customary for them. All of the people at these desks were volunteers, doing their part to help others. The goal was to let them realize how important their role in the team was. After a quick hello, and well wishes from those on duty, Kim and Ron crossed the hall to the conference room.

The table was surrounded by Team Go, Sensei, Yori and Hirotaka . The only actual members of Team Possible were Wade, at his usual station, with his laptop computer hooked up to his electronic babies in the subbasement of the building, and Sarah, dressed in her more casual of outfits, a mint green blouse and blue jeans.

Kim took her seat at the head of the table, with Ron in his traditional place at her right hand. Sarah sat to her left.

"Thank you all for what you have done for our families. If we had known that there was going to be trouble, we never would have left town." Kim made eye contact with each person as she spoke, making sure that they recognized her sincerity. "I'm just glad none of you were hurt."

"Precisely why you were not told about the possibility, Kim-sama." Yori spoke up from her place on Ron's immediate right. "You have long put the needs of others before yourself. Sensei felt that you should have at least some time to yourselves before we told you what we of Yamanouchi had discovered. We did not anticipate your... perception of things occurring so far away." Now the oriental girl lowered her eyes to the polished wooden surface of the table. "Our apologies if we have offended."

Ron patted her shoulder and smiled. "We had the feeling something was up when we noticed that we were being shadowed the whole time we were away. We could never actually see anyone, so we figured that it had to be our friends from Japan." The grin turned into a broad smile. "There's something comforting about a presence that means well but is never seen. You have trained these people well, Sensei."

"So, now that we are back, what exactly has been going on? We know that sixteen men dressed in black made an attempt to harm our family. What we haven't been able to get from anyone is how you all knew to be around." Kim looked pointedly at Sarah. "Seems to me that somebody has been keeping secrets that they really shouldn't have. Who is responsible for the attacks, and how exactly did you know to be there?" Kim pointedly looked over at Hego. "By the way, Mom says to be a little more careful with the equipment at the hospital."

"We of Yamanouchi must accept responsibility for alerting Ms. Go of the situation." Sensei's deep voice carried easily in the room, despite its gentleness. "My students were watching over your wedding, and we apprehended a man who was making an attempt on your lives. We traced him to one of your old enemies." The elderly man pulled a disc from his sleeve and passed it down to Wade, who inserted it into the drive of his laptop. "These are the results of our investigations into the person who has threatened your families."

Kim turned to face the large LCD screen behind her. The face that filled one corner was all too familiar to her. She had last seen it in Central America, leering at her from behind the gate of his estate where he had taken refuge. As long as he stayed in Guatemala, he was protected. The law could not touch him, and neither could Team Possible.

"So Riveras has decided to crawl out of the woodwork." Ron glared at the screen. He had been hoping to meet the man once more, and this time mete out the justice that had been denied. "I bet he thought we'd forgotten about him. Boy, is he in for a surprise."

"When it was discovered who had ordered the assassination attempt, I spoke with Ms. Go at your reception. Yamanouchi has been with you and your family since that night. Ms. Go's brothers offered to watch over the Possibles, using their own unique talents to ensure their safety. Given the abject failure of that, I believe that Riveras will not make a similar strike." The old man looked somewhat chagrined. "I had not anticipated him moving so soon after the first try."

"So now the question becomes, what do we do about him?"

"You don't do anything, Princess." Sarah looked at Kim from her place at Kim's left hand. "You have to think of two lives now, my Goddaughter is at stake. You can lead us, advise us, but you will do it from a safe distance. That snake is not going to get within three feet of you." At that, Wes and William Go stood up and divided themselves each. The duplicates walked over and stood behind Kim's shoulders. "From this point on, until Riveras is securely behind bars, you are going to be watched closely."

Wade reached down to the attache case that was sitting at his feet. Placing it on the table, he opened it and withdrew a small box. "I've been holding onto this for a few years now. It's your old Kimmunicator Mark II." He slid the box down the table and watched as Kim opened it. "You saw your mom and dad wearing them. Yours has been modified to interface directly with the main frame downstairs." He ran his fingers over the keyboard and clicked his mouse. The screen behind Kim changed to a readout of her vital signs, a GPS location marker and an inset showing a scan of her immediate surroundings. "As Riveras' primary targets, you, Ron and Sarah will all be wearing one of these at all times."

"Um, this could be a little inconvenient at times, Wade." Ron looked a little embarrassed. "Do I really want somebody watching me when I have to make a rest stop?"

"Well, the visual can be put on hold. The scan, however, would be ongoing. In the event of something happening while the video is off, your physical reaction will automatically kick it back in." Wade looked at the three of them. "If you are doing anything you really don't want seen, just manually turn off the audio/video feed. You should know that if the signal is cut off for an extended period, an alarm will sound on my equipment and I will be calling to check up on you."

"Okay, so we're all safe. What do we do about Riveras?" Kim was nothing if not persistent.

"Sensei has been most careful to insure that we know what he is doing." Yori spoke up from the other side of Ron. "A graduate of Yamanouchi is watching him now. Intelligence indicates that he is still trying to figure out what went wrong with the attacks last night. Without contact from his people, he is still in the dark." She looked at Ron and Sarah in turn. "When he makes his next move, we will inform you. It will be your honor to defeat him once and for all."

"In the meantime, I suggest you go on with 'business as usual' as much as you can." Mego piped up from his seat. "Just from a psychological point of view, it should provoke Riveras into making a mistake." Menlow Go had begun his post doctoral thesis in psychological analysis. "If you treat him like a mild annoyance, I'm pretty sure you can get him to a place where his connections can't protect him. We have to play the waiting game, I'm afraid." He glanced over at his older brother. Patience had never been one of Herb's best virtues.

"Alright. Life goes on then." Ron held his wife's hand. "That means that we have some business to conclude in the morning. I want to thank you all again for what you have been doing for us. Once this is all done and over with, I'm throwing one heck of a party for all of you. Think food, fun and relaxation. In other words, leave the bo staff at home, Hiro."

xx

It was fairly early the next morning that Ron and Kim Stoppable stepped out of the downtown Middleton office that Ron had been visiting the day before the wedding. Clutched tightly in Kim's hand were the keys to their house. The closing had been delayed for the wedding and alterations to be done, in order to make it truly "theirs". That morning, with signatures in place and funds handed over, they were stepping out on their own. It was time for the next stage of their lives.

True to Team Go's word, the duplicates of Wes and William were still there. They had taken turns the previous night, patrolling the Possible family residence. Now, they followed in a sleek car of their own, one that didn't attract undue attention, as Ron drove the sedan into the heart of one of Middleton's most charming neighborhoods.

Pulling up the drive, the Stoppables looked at their first home together. The house was not large, considering they could afford anything the Tri-city area had to offer. Ron was still in receipt of some very large royalty checks from Bueno Nacho. Along with the naco, he had made other popular suggestions for the menu, and the new president of the company (a very good friend and former assistant manager) was quite pleased. Ned Levinson might believe in bargains, but he believed in paying for value. In their last year of university, Kim and Ron had been out for a bike ride and seen a beautiful stone house, and begun dreaming. The basement had been perfect for a home gym and dojo. The formal living room was ideal for entertaining, while the family room was great for Ron to indulge in his gaming habit.

Kim eagerly unlocked the large oak door with the stained glass insert and sidelight. In keeping with tradition, Ron picked her up and carried her over the threshold. She giggled and put her arms around his neck. He swept her into the foyer and gingerly set her down on the polished hardwood floor. She walked into the living room and looked at the fireplace. She imagined the family portrait that would fit so wonderfully in that space.

"Welcome home, KP." Ron put his arm around her as they surveyed the currently empty rooms.

"What a beautiful word, Ron. Home!"


	13. A Prisoner, Pastels and Pickles

I once again thank all of the good readers who have been so patient in waiting for my updates. This story will be told. Things just seem to keep popping up. Okay, that's not a valid reason for not writing, when said "things" are really trivial.

A large shout out to all who have been following and reviewing. You have made more of this story than I had thought it would be.

Again, I don't have any real rights to the character which appeared in the cartoon produced by Disney. Let's just be grateful they let us take creative license.

**A Prisoner, Pastels and Pickles**

A few days after the homecoming, Kim and Ron had been invited by Dr. Director to sit in on the interrogation of the recovering prisoners. Sergeant Hobble had not had any problem with turning the other attackers over to global justice either, since Team Possible was involved. Besides, this left the department with more time to protect the neighborhood from any further incidents. Investigation had never really been one of his stronger suits anyway. Middleton didn't really have much serious crime of it's own.

None of the sixteen men had been very forthcoming, stalling as much as possible. First it was the "no speak English" ploy. That was very quickly followed by demands for lawyers. While representation was being acquired, Kim and Ron quietly slipped into the room. A third and fourth person waited on the outside.

The man in the chair stared blankly at Kim and Ron, not seeming to realize who they were. Every now and then, he would glance at the Global Justice agent that stood leaning in the corner with his arms crossed. Not a word was spoken for nearly ten minutes. As the seconds ticked by, the prisoner began to sweat a little. Finally, Kim leaned in on the table and glared into the man's face, tapping the folio under her fingers.

"Juan Marco Francisco Garcia." The man twitched.

"Wasn't too hard to figure out who you are, Juan." Ron added, casually swiveling a chair around to sit on it backwards. "You have a rap sheet longer than a roll of toilet paper. It's covered in the same stuff too. You can give us confirmation of what we know, and maybe we can talk Global Justice into holding you in a nice comfy American cell. Otherwise, it's a quick flight back to Guatemala, and whatever the people you work for use as punishment for failure."

Kim leafed through the files. "Yep, we could hold you for a nice long time here. Then again, there are five or six central American countries that have this same folder. What do you think, Ron. Keep him or try one of the other fifteen oddballs over in the holding cells?"

Juan remained silent, but now he was beginning to look really scared. He knew what was in those files, or what might be.

"Okay, plan B." Kim gestured to the guard. He opened the door and strolled out. Now Garcia looked really scared. The only consolation was that the door was still open, so anything that happened would do so with potential witnesses.

When Ron got up off the chair, the orange clad prisoner noticed something odd about the lighting in the room. The florescent bulbs had dimmed, and their illumination had been replaced by a blue glow. It was coming from all around the blond man in front of him. His eyes opened wide as Ron walked around the table.

"Now, all I really need to do is touch you and I will know if you are telling the truth. But I'm not going to be asking the questions, and it won't be up to me to make you willing to talk."

Kim walked over and beckoned in the two young women from the hall. Sarah was dressed in full mission wear. The plait that normally hung down her back was casually thrown over one shoulder. Yori was dressed in a neat pair of khaki slacks and a dark blouse, but she was still every bit the ninja that had been defending the Stoppable residence. Both women looked at the man seated in the chair.

Yori turned and looked at Sarah. "Yes, this is one of the men we faced. I believe he is one of the men who pulled a knife, at least until Hana landed on his friend lying in the infirmary down the hall."

Sarah walked over and looked at him closely. "Oh yeah, I remember this one." Turning to Kim and Ron, she winked. "So, Stoppable, do I get some time alone with this joker?" Returning her gaze to Garcia, she opened a palm, a small ball of plasma energy glowing green. She laughed as he pulled back as far as his manacled wrists would allow.

"Well, let's see how he does with the question and answer portion of our program." Ron stepped up to the man's side and lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Remember what I told you about being able to spot lies."

"Simple yes and no questions, amigo." Sarah began. She looked over at Kim, who confirmed that cameras were rolling. "Your name is Juan Garcia?"

Juan merely nodded.

"Aloud, if you please, sir." Yori purred, coming around from the other side of Sarah and leaned toward her prey.

"Si, yes, I am Juan Garcia?"

"You are a citizen of Guatemala?"

"Yes."

"You admit to leading an attempted invasion of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Stoppable of Middleton?"

"No! I didn't lead the attack. I was just doing a job."

Ron's hand tightened a little on the shoulder. He gave a slight shake of his head, looking at his wife and friends.

Yori applied a little pressure to the other shoulder, while Sarah re-lit the plasma ball in her palm. "Ron-chan tells us you are being less than truthful, sir. We suggest you rethink your answer."

Staring at the energy glowing green in front of his eyes, and hearing that calm, cool voice in his ear, he quickly got the message. "Si, yes! I got the job from my boss. He told us where to go, what to do. He got us into the country."

"And your employer is Antonio Riveras, correct?"

"Yes."

Sarah powered down and Yori let loose her hold on the man's shoulder. Ron also let go, the blue glow slowly faded. "We got it all on video, right?"

Kim nodded. "All we need is his signature on the transcription."

Dr. Betty Director entered the room. "With his signed confession, we can start back tracking how he and his friends got into Middleton. Officially that is. I'm sure Mr. Load already has a trail that can be followed at our discretion."

XX

The Stoppable house was an exercise in controlled pandemonium. Kim and her mother were having great fun decorating each room in turn. For weeks, they poured over catalogs, magazines and internet sites of furniture stores. Swatches of cloth covered just about every surface in every room.

The furniture from Kim's Upperton apartment had been deemed "acceptable" for use until the proper items were found. There were places to sit, and a bed for Ron and Kim to share at night. A few pictures adorned the mantle, along with trophies from the old high school days. The family room had received a large number of electronics; television, stereo and a wide assortment of video devices. Ron had spent the better part of an evening pouring over the manuals, a bunch of patch cords in his mouth. Kim had suggested calling Wade or Felix, to which he only muttered under his breath about signs of weakness.

As time went on, room after room was completed. The formal areas of the house had been painted before they had moved in, so all Kim had to do was place the furniture. More accurately, all she had to do was tell her husband and brothers where to place it. It was an exercise in frustration for the guys. They would no sooner have the sofa placed, and Kim or Anne would decide that it simply didn't look right, and the process would begin again. Many was the night that the Stoppable and Possible men went to bed with a stomach full of take out food and pain relievers.

With the living room finally decorated, a lot of thought went into the nursery. There was no shortage of input into this most special room. It was of respectable size, so furniture placement wasn't quite an issue. It was more about picking out the colors. Kim and Ron had opted not to be told what the gender of their child was. They were happy to know that it was whole and healthy. Given the unplanned nature of the newest Stoppable, there had been a few worries about possible complications.

One very warm day near the beginning of August, the carpeting in the nursery was covered with a drop cloth. The furniture had similarly been covered, after being moved into the center of the room. Sarah Go, Monique, Bonnie, Tara and Yori were dressed in old clothes and watched as Jim and Tim Possible finished taping around the windows and trim. This process was taking a little longer than anticipated, since they were continually misplacing the strips of green painters tape.

"Boys, if you don't stop staring at the girls in their shorts, I swear I'm going to have a nice long discussion with your mother." Sarah tried very hard to glare at them, but failed miserably, seeing as she was garnering as much attention as the four younger women. Tim in particular hadn't gotten over having danced with her at the reception. "We have a job to do here, and we'd like to be able to finish and shower sometime this week."

It was at that moment that Ron came in carrying a cooler filled with water and fruit juice. He was still dressed in his suit, having just come back from his office at Smarty Mart. Martin Smarty had indeed succeeded in luring him back to the company, this time as the vice-president of marketing and product selection.

"Well, I can't say as I blame the guys." He whistled as he set the cooler down. "It's times like this I"m glad I'm a married man. Deciding who to strike out with first would be so very frustrating." He lifted a brow as a ripple of laughter went around the room. "Sarah's point is well taken though guys. It's hot enough up here, and I'm grateful enough to them for doing the painting. Your sister shouldn't be anywhere near any possible fumes."

The guys finished their task and then brought in the cans of paint. After they left, Bonnie grabbed a small putty knife. She opened the can in front of her and looked at the contents. "Okay, I smell a rat here, girls. I think somebody has been influencing Kim in the color scheme in here." All eyes went from the paint to Sarah and back. The green hue was almost a prefect match for the older woman's skin.

"I had nothing to do with it. Can I help it if Kimmie has taste?" Sarah just grinned.

Monique chose that moment to pipe in. "It's my fault girls. I suggested soft pastel colors, and thought that green on the walls and light purple fabrics would be nice and soothing." She pointed to the rocker that was hidden under the drop cloths. "My mama always told me that a baby's room should always have color, but they shouldn't be overpowering." She looked at the paint in the can and then put her fingers in it and rubbed it on the wall nearest to her. "Anyone care to debate the choice Kim made?"

The women set to work, with the occasional interruption by Jim or Tim, who had not even thought about leaving the house. They would pop in every few minutes, asking if there was anything needed. More drinks, some snacks? After the fourth such intrusion, Tara and Monique took up positions flanking the door. The next time that it opened, each lunged out with her paint brush. Green paint splattered all over the young man entering the room.

Unfortunately, it was not the twins who had come into the room. Ron Stoppable opened his eyes, and tried to wipe the mess off of his face.

"Oh no!" Tara cried and dropped her brush. She grabbed for the nearest clean cloth.

"Ron, I'm so sorry!" Monique grabbed a second cloth and began wiping from Ron's other side.

Fortunately, Ron had long since changed from his work suit into something more comfortable, and by extension, expendable.

Thus it was that Kim walked in on her husband being held down on the floor surrounded by five of her good friends, all trying to clean his face off. Not that she could see exactly what they were doing from her vantage point by the door. "I sent you up here to apologize for the boys bothering them, and what do I find? Honestly Ron, have you no shame at all?"

Her husband spluttered in his attempts to explain himself.

Kim began laughing as she looked at his painted face. At first it was just a bit of a giggle. That changed to a chuckle, and then to a hearty laugh. It was at that point that Kim's eyes suddenly bugged out, almost like a cartoon character. She turned suddenly on her heel and ran down the hall to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her and screaming something about never making a woman laugh when somebody was pressing on her bladder from the inside.

XX

At the start of their fifth month of pregnancy, both women began to experience severe cravings. Kim's old love of marshmallows on her hot dogs reasserted itself. James made an emergency call to his brother, who provided the fixings for a buffalo burger smothered in onions fried in Worcester sauce with a side of wintergreen mint. (A convenient antidote to the onions.) The twins were almost as much afraid to open the fridge door as their sister had been of their bedroom or the garage. The boys had finally resorted to learning to cook, as their sister and her husband had told them they would have to once, long ago.

It happened that, as the paint in the nursery was drying, both Anne Possible and Kim Stoppable both took a sudden and instant desire for pickled mandarin slices. Now, such an item cannot be found on the standard grocery shelf, naturally. It was, however, a newly acquired product in the gourmet food section at Smarty Mart. (Ron had been playing around with a number of the offerings in the department. His vast culinary experience was starting to have an effect on the tastes of Smarty Mart shoppers.) It was still in the trial stages, so supplies weren't as large as normal for the mega store. So, unbeknownst to the other, James and Ron both went in search of a jar. After more than an hour went by, both wives began to be concerned. They hit the panic button and called Wade, who activated the images from their Kimmunicators.

All they saw were two very awkward views of concrete floors. The beacons indicated that they were in close proximity to one another at the Middleton Police Headquarters. Bio reading were normal, so apparently neither man was in immediate danger. Cell phone calls went unanswered, and so were attempts on the Kimmunicators.

Finally, during a break in the attempts, a phone rang in the Possible house. Jim, wandering around in search of yet another snack and something to tear apart in hopes of getting a signal, picked up the cordless phone, briefly considering the various components in the handset. Giving himself a mental shake, he pushed the talk button.

"Possible residence."

"Good evening. This is sergeant Hobble, down at the Middleton Police Department. Would Anne Possible be there?"

"She's gone over to my sister's house. They're trying to find Ron and Dad. The Kimmunicators keep saying that they're with you, but we can't reach them."

"Oh, we know exactly where they are, son. I'll call your mother over there and get this all sorted out." Sergeant Hobble chuckled through the device. The line went dead, and Jim used the unit on his own wrist to contact Wade. He then went back to his search for food, the spare parts no longer being an issue.

It was a rather subdued James Possible and Ron Stoppable who followed their wives into the new house. Both wives were trying very hard to make up their minds whether to be angry, or laugh themselves silly. In the end, they settled on making fun of them. The recordings that Wade had taken from the computers that linked all of the Team Possible communications devices was played out on the large television monitor in the family room.

XX

James had parked his car at the east end of the parking lot, and jogged into the store. As usual, he was a little bewildered by the sheer size of the place. Fortunately, there was always a "welcome party" at the entrance, who would ask if they could be of assistance. They were highly trained, to know exactly where an item, and to be able to direct a customer to the correct aisle, shelf and section without fail. Naturally, James got lost in aisle sixteen, when he should have been in aisle 12, section 10.

Ron, in the meantime, had arrived at the west end of the lot. The "welcoming party" at that entrance was an old friend of his, so they spent some time chatting. Despite the urgency of his mission, he made the mistake of passing through aisle 51, section 17 (Commonly referred to as the guy trap.) There he wasted several minutes perusing the latest game selections, contemplating which one might be worth trying out on the new system at home. Duty to and love of his wife bringing him back to the task at hand, Ron made his way to the other end of the store, and the gourmet food selections.

It so happened that there had been a run on the pickled mandarin slices that evening, so that when James finally found his way, and Ron arrived, they faced each other down the aisle, staring at the very last jar on the shelf. Each man looked at the other, and then at the jar. Without any exchange of pleasantries, they both began running, one from the east, the other from the west. Both men reached for the jar at the same time, and it slipped from both of their grasps, falling to the floor, bouncing off of Ron's sneaker and rolling down under the shelves, to the next aisle over.

"Kim needs those mandarins!" Ron cried, and scrambled back the way he had come, intent on getting around and picking up the jar. In the same instant, James wheeled around the other way, with the same goal in mind. Both of them were pushing other shoppers and carts out of the way in desperation to get the coveted preserved fruit. When they met on the opposite side of the wide shelves, they both once more grabbed for the elusive jar. Knocking heads, they both looked up and growled at each other.

A subtle dance around the prize began. Each would make a faint for it, only to be pushed back by the other.

It was at this point, that security finally arrived on the scene. As James and Ron were escorted to the security office, to await the authorities, an elderly woman came along and picked up the jar, still spinning on the floor, and unceremoniously dumped it into her cart.

Given the threat to the Possible and Stoppable families, the men had been allowed to retain their Kimmunicators, but were forbidden to use them, relying instead on their right to a phone call. After listening to the story, Sergeant Hobble had decided to forgo the charges of disturbing the peace. These were both respected members of the community after all. Besides, the humiliation on their faces when their wives saw them in the holding cell was punishment enough.

XX

Kim and Anne laughed at the antics of their spouses, to the point that each needed several tissues for the tears. Wade had promised each of them a DVD copy, for use on those occasions that a little bit of incriminating evidence would be needed to win an argument. (Not often, considering how liberally either would use the dreaded PDP.) At the very least, the threat was there to keep them from ever telling embarrassing tales about them at parties.

As the "show" was ending, Ron looked over and noticed that both Kim and Anne were dipping forks into a jar, and eating pickled mandarin slices, one after another.

"Um, KP, where did you get those?"

Kim looked her husband in the eye and laughed. "While we were picking you up out of holding, Sarah was kind enough to go to Smarty Mart. About five minutes after security pulled you out of the aisles, the boys restocked the shelf with the new shipment from the stock room."


	14. A Time to End It

As usual, please know that I do not own anything related to the Kim Possible television series. With the legalities taken care of... on with the show.

**A Time to End It**

As Antonio Riveras paced back and forth across the floor of his study, he grew increasingly angrier. First there was the botched attempt at the church. Now the debacle in Middleton. He had imagined the look on Kim Possible's face as he held the knife to her mother's throat. What had gone wrong? The so-called professional hit man never even got a shot off. Worse, he'd taken the first half of his commission and disappeared. His hired help had failed miserably, and been captured. It would not take long for the authorities to get one of the fools to talk.

He stopped at his desk, slamming both palms down on the solid wood surface. In a sweeping motion, he pushed everything off and onto the floor. The tall, dark man seethed, balling his fists and growling under his breath. It was time to take this fight to the enemy. _"I've been trapped here in my own home. No more!"_, Riveras thought to himself. Kicking around in the pile of debris he had shoved onto the floor, he picked up the phone. Getting a dial tone, he started making calls.

Hidden in the foliage of the Central American estate, a young man dressed in black watched the activity in the study. The guards roaming below never noticed the still figure. They were far too occupied trying to stay out of their employer's path. His temper had gotten steadily worse since the first attempt on the lives of Team Possible. Now, five months later, a large number of the more casual help had quit, disappearing with whatever they could carry off.

This was most disturbing. An angry man, attacking blindly, was as dangerous as any assassin, and much harder to anticipate. The Yamanouchi graduate slowly raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes. The lenses were coated to prevent glare, which would give away the user's position. As Riveras dialed, he memorized the numbers, to be traced by a colleague. By the looks of things, events were about to unfold, and they would do so rapidly.

Silently, without so much as rustling the leaves of the tree, the ninja left his post and made his way off of the estate. When he was a safe distance from the target, he pulled a satellite phone from the pack he wore. Dialing a series of numbers he waited for the line at the other end. An elderly voice responded, "Hai?" Without preamble, the young man began his report. "Sensei, it is time."

XX

Warm summer had given way to an early autumn in Colorado. The leaves had changed and quickly fallen. Crisp evenings called to the Stoppables, and they bundled up in warm jackets to stroll down the streets of their up-scale neighborhood. Even at her advanced state of pregnancy, Kim still enjoyed daily exercise. She strolled arm in arm with her husband, her eyes going from the shining stars to her husband's face.

Impending fatherhood and a much enjoyed career had caused him to lose a lot of the goofiness that had so characterized him. Yet still, he had managed to retain that essential "Ron-ness" that she had always loved, even if she didn't realize it for so long. Mostly, it was the looks that he continually gave her, from the time she woke in the morning until she fell asleep in their bed at night. He was happy and fulfilled, and not the least bit afraid to let the world know about it.

Despite the current circumstances, Kim's career was also starting to take off. As a junior diplomat, she was making even more international contacts, arranging trade negotiations and visits by a number of dignitaries. She was now gaining a reputation for her new skills, rather than the work she did with Team Possible.

A reminder of those "circumstances" walked several yards ahead of the couple on the other side of the street. Wes Go (better known as one of the Wego twins) was walking point. His brother William (or one of his duplicates, it was impossible to tell) was on their side of the street, hanging back to give them some measure of privacy. Kim, as the head of Team Possible was the main target in this ongoing war with Antonio Riveras. Since the meeting at the warehouse, she had never been completely alone.

"Ron, how much longer is this going to go on?" she sighed gustily. "My boss doesn't have this much protection, and he's a highly ranked member of the State Department." Kim looked around her at the quiet streets. "It's not like we're sitting in the middle of some jungle or walking into some villain's lair these days."

"KP, I know it's hard for you to be on the waiting end of a mission. You're a 'get it done' kind of woman. It's why you're so good at what you do." Ron pulled her a little closer. "Think of this as one of those missions when we would be providing protection for some invention, or setting a trap for someone. Forget that it's you that they're after."

"I suppose you're right, Ron. I've just never been all that good at waiting."

The young couple continued their walk in the cool night air.

Sarah Go had returned to her regular job as a teacher at Middleton Middle School. The irony of her return to where it had all begun was not lost. She had gone back that first day and looked at the fresh young faces. They had all gawked at her with a certain air of awe. Her membership in Team Possible and part in the drug war of three years previously was well known. Parents who had once balked at "Shego" being a teacher were now proud to say that she had taught their kids.

Hidden behind an air return vent at the back of the room, a tiny man dressed in purple was watching her. Menlow Go (Mego, as most of the public knew him) spent as much time as possible looking after his little sister. He'd been concerned that she was as great a target as Kim Stoppable. After all, it was Sarah that had tracked down the source of the drugs invading the school. Being able to shrink down to a convenient hiding size made it easier to avoid her knowing. Sarah was incredibly self reliant, stubbornly so at times.

At first, the principal of the school, Ms. Ryder, had thought there was a mouse problem. A quick word or two with her after classes one day had assured that he wouldn't have to contend with mouse traps in the duct work.

While she might have been grateful for her brother's concern and vigilance, she would have suggested that his efforts could have been put to better use elsewhere. Sarah was perfectly well protected. Aside from her own considerable skills, she had noted the newest member of the office staff. A young woman named Yori Oshiro was a common sight about the school, delivering messages, arranging supplies and generally making a quiet presence of herself.

Sarah was well aware of who she really was, and what she was capable of. They had become good friends since the wedding reception. In fact, the younger woman had even convinced her and Drew Lipsky to accompany her boyfriend, Ned Levinson, and herself to a play at the local theater. It turned out that they had a lot of things in common, outside of the martial arts. The guys had sat with glazed expressions while the girls had discussed modern art at some length over supper.

Mrs. Doctor Possible was still being ably watched over by Herb Go, on leave from his job at Bueno Nacho. He was no longer trying to stay in the background, disguised as an orderly, but he still helped with some of the more heavy tasks about the hospital as Anne made her rounds.

The boys had suddenly developed new friends when they started attending the Middleton Institute of Science and Technology. These friends tended to be from foreign (often Asian) countries, and have remarkable reflexes.

James was being protected mostly electronically, via the good offices of the Kimmunicator Mark II, and the systems at the Space center.

Ron's family was protected by an invisible army of Yamanouchi ninjas. Hana was able to pick them out when she was taken to daycare, or shopping, but nobody else in the neighborhood even knew they existed. These were some of Sensei's best. Even when they couldn't see their shadows, Eugene Stoppable and his wife felt safer, without knowing just why.

XX

It was into this atmosphere of relaxed but ready attitudes that Antonio Riveras slipped into Middleton.

Unlike most drug lords, he had decided to live and operate out of Guatemala. Columbia and Nicaragua had more corrupt officials that could be bought and paid for, but the competition and loose loyalties in those countries had made his base more comfortable. It also meant that it took time to nurture contacts that could get him about quietly. The observed phone calls had been to a certain official in the customs office and various commercial air carriers. With some false documents and four different flights, Riveras managed to elude even Global Justice, now officially "watching" him.

At the Middleton airport, "Tony Rivers" had stepped off of a cargo plane, carrying a back pack and a small overnight bag. Dressed in blue cover-alls, he looked like just one more cargo handler on a layover. The security personnel paid little attention to him as the grease covered man went into the washroom facilities. Later, the janitorial staff swore under their breath as they washed out the filthy sink and picked up the cover-alls carelessly thrown on the floor.

An immaculately dressed Rivers smirked as he made his way to the line of taxis that waited at the main entrance. Rather than taking the first available cab, he hung back until two or three other cars had departed. If his entry into the country had been noticed, this was a step toward spotting and throwing off anyone following him. The second step was giving the driver his destination, the Middleton Regency Hotel and Spa. When the driver was duly tipped and thanked for the comfortable ride, Rivers went through the door that was held open for him. Instead of going to the front desk, he simply waited around until the taxi was long out of sight.

Two more cabs and a short walk later, Rivers was ensconced in a cheap motel where the manager asked no questions, so long as there was cash on the front desk. (A couple of hundred dollar bills slipped across with the registration book signed with the name "Jones" didn't hurt anything either.) In his room, he unpacked the day bag, putting the few clothes he had brought with him. Any others that he needed would be purchased when required. The backpack contained a number of implements that were of use to him in his quest to remove the only people to ever put a hole into the empire he had worked long hard years to build. As each deadly instrument was laid out on the bed, his grin spread wider, imagining the ways that Team Possible was going to pay for the last three years. Most delightful was the thought of what would be done at the end, the unspeakable fate of Kim Stoppable and her unborn child.

XX

It was a late Saturday afternoon and Ron was sitting on the floor of the Stoppable family room, leaning back against the sofa. The large LCD screen was flashing with the very latest video game for the Z-box. Kim and Monique were over at the table in the breakfast nook, having a cup of tea and pouring over some design ideas that the latter had on the go. This was one of the ways that the couple liked to unwind after a week at work. Friends, games and just basically being themselves.

Suddenly, Ron's expression went blank, and the control went still in his hands. The monsters on the screen had a field day with his avatar, draining its energy level to nothing in mere seconds. Kim heard the unusual sound of Ron losing a round and looked up from the pad of paper she and her BFF had been scribbling on. She watched as he put the controller down and sat up in a lotus position. Monique had her eyes on her friend as well, and noticed that he had begun to hover a couple of inches off of the carpet, glowing a faint blue.

"This can't be good, Mon. He's getting a message from Sensei."

Monique looked at her good friend. "What, he's never heard of a phone? This is hitting a seven point three on my weird meter, girl!" She watched in fascination as Ron hovered there, his face calm and his shoulders relaxed. She didn't even notice as Rufus walked over and swiped a carrot stick from the plate she had been eating from.

In his mind, Ron was sitting next to Sensei in a tranquil garden in a secluded part of the Yamanouchi Ninja school. The old man was actually sitting in his rooms, but preferred to have astral "conversations" in this setting. It was a common practice for those who spent time outside of their bodies to anchor themselves to pleasant settings. He had worked in this garden as a young student, and maintained it for the Master previous to himself. The patterns in the gravel and the larger stones were good for helping one to focus. At the moment, the actual garden was under a light layer of snow, and it was a little too cold for comfort outside, even with meditation techniques.

"Stoppable-san, I have called to warn you of impending danger. My students watching Antonio Riveras have informed me that he has left his home and is now in Middleton. They were able to track him as he traveled to the United States, but his last flight was a cargo jet. When he left, he managed to elude the young man we had waiting at the airport." Sensei looked very concerned. "I am most disturbed. As you know, our students are well trained in the art of tracking. Riveras is most dangerous to you and Kimberly now."

"I thank you, Sensei. We are aware of just how slippery this man can be. Rest assured, we will take all precautions. Now that he has left Guatemala, he's on our home field. We will finish this. Thank your students for us, and let Hiro and Yori know that we would be honored to have them with us in what is to come." Ron looked around at the garden. "At least, once it's all over, your granddaughter can come home and tend this place again. Ned will miss her though."

"Oh, she _is_ home, Stoppable-san. She has long since graduated from her studies with us here, and it is time for her to go out into the world." The old man chuckled, and his beard bobbed up and down in his lap. "I think that the task of raking the gravel will fall to the next Sensei of Yamanouchi. He is a focused young man." Indeed, Hirotaka had been groomed for years to take over when Sensei finally retired. From the moment he had first entered the gates of the mountain stronghold as a child, Yoshi Oshiro had recognized his successor.

With that, the connection was broken. Ron slowly floated to the floor and opened his eyes. When he turned and saw the two women and a naked mole rat watching him, he grinned that classic Ron Stoppable grin. "You've got to admit, KP, this saves on long distance charges." Getting up from his position, he walked over to the table and took a chair next to his wife. "We've got trouble headed our way, KP. Riveras is in town, and I don't think he's planning on surrendering to Global Justice." He opened a bottle of water that happened to be in front of him. Taking a quick swig, he swallowed and looked at Kim. "It's time to put our minds in the game. It's your team, Kim, what's your call?"

Kim immediately went into what her family and friends referred to as "mission mode". She sat just that little bit straighter, her shoulders squared and her jaw became firmly set. Back in the day, even Shego had known that this version of Kim Possible meant business. "First, I want to let Betty know. If Global Justice had any idea about this, we'd have been in 'protective custody' hours ago. Next, I want a check on everyone. Nobody goes out alone." She turned to Monique, who was waiting to find out what was required of her. "Sorry, Mon, but you aren't going to be able to hang out here for the duration, and that goes for the rest of our friends. You're all safe enough at the Team Possible offices, but here... No, I think it's best if we don't entertain for a while."

"Alright, girlfriend, but if anyone even comes close, you know I've got your back."

"Hey! That's my job!" Ron tried very hard to look upset. He and Rufus both put on stern looks that lasted for about a tenth of a second. "Honestly, though, Monique, we are glad to have you with us. We know we can always count on you." He picked up his Kimmunicator from the table and signaled to his rodent friend, who jumped to his shoulder. "You ladies finish what your doing, I'm going to make a couple of calls."

Going into the office at the front of the house, Ron plugged his Kimmunicator into the port on the computer at the desk. When he punched the keys to call Wade, his image appeared on the larger monitor, rather than the unit itself. "Hi Wade. Just got a heads up from our friends in Japan. Riveras is in Middleton, somewhere. We knew it was just a matter of time. And now, it's time to end it."


	15. A Crime Lord Falls

Once again I must apologize to the many readers who have been faithfully following this story for so long. Hard to believe I've kept Kim and her mother pregnant for so long. If I had done this to them in their universe, I would be so dead right now. You have been very patient with me, and I do promise to get this story finished. Who knows, maybe I'll even get around to finishing "Sarah" and introducing our villain properly.

As usual, I admit to not owning the rights to any character that was seen in the Kim Possible series.

**A Crime Lord Falls**

Riveras had not fought to gain an empire by being stupid. He knew that it wasn't going to be a simple matter of walking around Middleton and just putting a bullet into Kim Possible's head. He spent weeks studying the city, the places that Team Possible's key members could be found each day, and the way the site worked.

Toward the end of October, he had discovered that it was impossible for him to even approach one of the targets. He recognized the various members of Team Go that were in constant attendance on Kim. The rest of her family was equally protected.

Ron Stoppable was a formidable man in and of himself, even if he weren't surrounded by people at all times. Collateral damage was perfectly acceptable, but bombing Smarty Mart head offices simply wasn't feasible. Besides, he wanted to see the look on each of his victims' faces as the life drained out of their eyes, knowing that he had defeated them.

It was then that he realized that the best way to get at Team Possible was to hit them where it would really hurt.

The last days of the month found the crime lord disguised as a factory worker, a homeless man or a delivery driver, as the time of day suited. Each of these identities gave him the perfect reason for being in the vicinity of a particular building in the heart of the industrial section of Middleton. The Thompson Print Company might have been long since defunct, but the edifice that was being watched was a hub of activity. Cars entered the parking garage at varying times. People from all stations of life inhabited the communications center on the second floor, not that a person passing by would know that was what it was.

One individual was putting in a lot of time. A young African-American man, dressed in a casual, but business like manner, arrived many afternoons, usually being dropped off by what appeared to be college aged people. A laptop bag was invariably slung over one shoulder and a large soda cup was in one hand. Doctor Wade Agamemnon Load. This was the target that Riveras watched so intently, learning his routines, his blind spots. If Team Possible had any weakness, it was this central fountain of information that they relied on so heavily. Without him, they would be directionless, and more importantly, would not be so well informed.

In his disguise as a homeless person, he had even been invited into the building itself, and served a simple but nourishing meal. He had also acquired a good idea of how to get Kim Possible and her team to come to him.

On a late afternoon, the delivery van was backed up to the loading dock of a warehouse across the street from the gate of Team Possible's headquarters. To all appearances, it was just another shipment of goods being dropped off. In the vehicle, Riveras waited, watching for what was almost the daily arrival of Dr. Load, with yet more goodies for his mainframe computers, in the form of data updates and program alterations. Today, those computers were destined to go without. If things went as planned, they might never be updated again. While he was contemplating all of this, a small sedan pulled up to the gate, and Wade pulled himself out of the back seat, the young lady next to him holding his drink as he arranged his bag on his shoulder. He took it back from her and she closed the door.

"Thanks for the lift, Peter. Don't forget to go over that last chapter on firewall coding again. Trust me, the exam is going to be a killer!", Wade said, leaning down slightly to peer in at the driver's window.

"My pleasure, Professor Load. I'll read it tonight, and call your teaching assistant if I have any problems.", the young man behind the wheel replied before putting the car into gear.

Wade walked up to the gate in the fence and was about to slide it open when he saw a man dressed in a UDS uniform cross the street.

"Excuse me young man. I've been waiting for some time across the street for somebody to open the doors to accept delivery, but nobody is answering the bell." The man pointed to his van. It was parked at the loading dock of a small import firm. As Wade turned to look at it, he smelled a pungent aroma. He was just in the act of dropping his soda to raise his arm when he felt an arm circle his neck and place a cloth over his mouth and nose. While he had begun to get into shape in the last few years, he still wasn't up to taking down an assailant without warning. "Don't worry, boy. I'm not going to hurt you, yet. You're too valuable as bait." Riveras removed the bag from the slumped form and left it lying against the fence. He then pulled Wade up over his shoulders in a fireman's carry, and dumped him into the back of the van.

XX

It was only a couple of hours later that the bag was noticed by one of the volunteers coming in to work in the communications center. She recognized it immediately, and, knowing that Wade would never willingly be separated from his "portable office" had put out a general call that something was very, very wrong. Felix Renton was in the office first, and began putting together what had happened.

For all of his surveillance, Riveras either did not see the cameras, or simply disregarded them. In fact, it was impossible to approach Team Possible's headquarters without being seen on at least four separate screens simultaneously. By the time the Sloth pulled into the garage, Felix had a complete video montage of Wade's abduction, and had even pulled together a few close ups of the man in the uniform. While everyone had been looking out for Riveras, they had not seen through the uniform and sunglasses that had been in the neighborhood for days.

Now, most of Team Possible was sitting around the conference table.

"That dirty son of a..." Kim was fuming to herself.

"Kimmie! Language please!" Anne Stoppable was carrying rather heavily this pregnancy, and looked very matronly indeed as she admonished her daughter. As the team's emergency medical consultant, she had insisted on being in the room. Besides, Wade was family, as far as the Possibles were concerned. "I know you're angry, sweetie, but try putting all of that emotion into something that you can use. Just because he can stoop to being less than a gentleman so easily should not be reason for you to be less of a lady."

Kim, who hadn't even been paying attention to the people in the room with her looked up at her mother. She put a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, Mom. I know you raised me better than that. It's just, well, I feel responsible for Wade. I let him into the team when he was just a kid. I should have known that something like this could happen one day. He was safer in his room."

"You know that's not true, KP." Ron walked over from where he had been looking over Felix's shoulder. He gently pushed Kim into her chair at the head of the table. "He knew what he was getting himself into, and came anyway. He came out because we needed him, that we could never be safe without him, and he was in danger of being lost forever in his electronic world." He brushed back a strand of auburn hair that had moved in front of her eyes. "He has grown up more normal and happy than his family ever expected, thanks to you. Don't ever feel that you've made him into less than he could want to be. Or made his decisions for him, he'd never forgive you."

Kim was just getting ready to respond when the heavy door to the room slammed back against its stop.

"What has that varmint done with my Aggie?" Jocelyn Possible roared into the room with the fury of a mountain snow storm. Her eyes blazed with a heat that could have melted the polar ice caps on Mars from where she was standing. "I'm gonna get my daddy's scatter gun and leave his hole-filled carcass out for the buzzards! I'll string him up with his own greasy hair braided into a rope!" She made two full laps of the room before stopping at the window and staring down at the small patch of garden that had been planted in a corner of what had been a shipping yard, and was now a green space.

Kim looked up at her mother. "And you thought _I _was angry?" She regarded her cousin with a mixture of amusement and sympathy. "If we could harness _that_ kind of power, I think we could power the building for a month." Despite her expanding abdomen, she got up and walked over to her cousin. She put her arm around the now crying young woman and made comforting noises as she guided her to her traditional seat, next to the space her boyfriend usually occupied. That chair, now backed against the wall to make room for Felix's wheel chair, would remain empty until its rightful occupant reclaimed it.

By now, the room was starting to fill to capacity. Sarah was sitting in her chair, going over every detail of the footage from the security monitors. Felix was seated at the main computer terminal, calling up anything that was requested. Jim Possible was sitting next to him, watching his cousin closely from across the table. Yori was sitting in on the meeting, though she was not formally a member of Team Possible. Honor required her to see her friend restored to his rightful place. Ron had taken his seat, next to Kim's and Anne was now sitting to his right. Scattered about the room were some of the more peripheral members of the team, including Monique, Zita and two youngsters dressed in mission gear similar to Sarah's.

Oddly enough, Tim Possible was absent. He had gone down to the labs in the basement when his brother had pulled into a space in the garage. When questioned, he had simply mumbled something about tracking gear and headed for the stairwell.

"Alright. We know who has Wade, and that at some point, he's going to call us. Any meeting he calls for is obviously a trap, and he knows we know that." Ron called out, bringing everyone to order.

"If you say one word about trap-traps, I am so going to slug you.", Kim told her husband drily.

"What I mean is, he is going to be ready for us to try to get around whatever he has planned for us. I suggest that we don't even try. We just have to figure out what he is most likely going to try, and put something into place around him, so that he doesn't have room to maneuver when we do get to him. For Wade's sake, we have to know what kind of bolt hole Riveras is sitting on. That's the only reason he got away from us three years ago, we lost him for a few minutes and he was out of the country before we caught up to him."

Joss looked up at him from her place at the table. "How do we do that? We don't even know where he's taken Aggie. Why wasn't he wearing a Kimmunicator like everyone else?" She looked at the unit strapped to her own wrist. "We could be tracking him right now if he'd put one on."

"It just didn't occur to us that he would be so vulnerable, Joss. He's always surrounded by electronic eyes and ears. Besides, the first thing Riveras would do is get rid of anything that could possibly be used for following him." Ron's eyes were filled with sympathy for Joss. He has asked himself the same question, and had to admit that somehow, Wade had managed to put the rest of the team ahead of himself yet again, and they hadn't noticed. He made a promise to himself that it would _never_ happen again.

The door swung open again, and Tim walked in, a rather large box in his arms. He walked up to the table and put his burden down on the oak surface. He reached in and pulled out a device the size of a small tablet computer. He pressed a small button and the screen lit up with a map of the Tri-city area. "This is how we are going to find Wade and bring him home. Riveras is going to need time to set up whatever he thinks is going to stop Team Possible. I mean to beat him at his own game." He linked the device by a usb cable into the monitor above Kim's chair. The screen showed the map in clear detail, with buildings and roads laid out in a clear, easy to read scale.

"What does this do for us?", Kim asked. "We just got through discussing that Wade wasn't carrying anything traceable. What exactly are we going to be looking for?"

"That's where what Sarah and Felix have been doing for the last hour is going to come in. Did you get a good close look at that van, Sarah?"

"Yes, but the plates are definitely stolen. Felix ran them through the DMV computers, and they were reported two weeks ago. Unfortunately, Sergeant Hobble says none of the units he's had out looking have had any luck finding them." Sarah looked at the pictures she had on her Kimmunicator screen. "It looks like he stole them from a bakery van in Upperton, and put them on a van that he picked up semi-legitimately. There haven't been any reports of a UDS van being stolen."

"Right, but that means Riveras isn't likely to be hiding the van that well. Do you realize just how many cameras there are in the Tri-city area? He's probably been recorded at least sixteen times since I came into the room."

"I think I see where Tim is going on this." Jim looked at the map and then at his brother. "We're going to give these tablets to as many volunteers as we can put together in a hurry. They're going to wander around and we'll 'borrow' any camera feeds that aren't shielded. When somebody picks up the plates..."

"We start tracking where the van is and where it's headed.", Tim finished his brother's sentence, as was their habit. "I figure we'll have Wade located before we ever get a call from the bastard that took him."

"Tim, that is not a nice way to phrase that idea. Still, I think it will work nicely." Anne Possible looked at her son with an air of pride. The boys had certainly taken after their father where gadgetry was concerned. Now, that was going to pay off with big dividends.

A young man at the back of the room spoke up for the first time. "Um, I have an idea. Give the pads to as many people my age as you can. Lea and I can probably get them out there quick. Let's face it, when's the last time you saw a teenager without an electronic device of some kind." Ron Garvin blushed. He was generally pretty shy, and he and Leanne Barton had only just been brought into the team by their former teacher, Sarah Go. "Riveras might catch on if he sees too many people obviously tracking. If he sees one of us, he'll just see another kid playing a video game."

"Ron's right." Sarah said. "That's one of the reasons I asked them to come in with me. Short of Yori, young adults are the next best thing to invisible that we have."

XX

Not much more than two hours later, the streets were flooded with gangs of teenagers. Adults passing by shrugged their shoulders, or rolled their eyes. Yet another new video game fad! The things seemed to roll out of nowhere. It it wasn't being played on a tablet computer, it was being used via a cell phone app. In twos and threes the kids wandered about the Middleton streets. What nobody actually saw was that, instead of the usual animated characters being generated on the screens, video of real time security and red light camera footage was being collected and analyzed.

As predicted, it didn't take long for somebody to win the game of "spot the plates". On a street corner in a seedier section of town, a store security camera just happened to catch a UDS van turning into an alley. A young man with his very first cell phone (A gift from a popular couple at Middleton High.) almost jumped for joy. Quickly, he pressed the button sequence that would send the image to a computer at Team Possible headquarters. He pocketed the phone and casually walked past the alley, being careful not to look too interested. When he reached the end of the street, he sat down on the stoop of a tenement building and waited.

The video and data attached to the camera that took it was gratefully received in the conference room on the other side of town. In all, Wade had only been missing for four hours. So far, there had not been any communication from Riveras, but now that he had gone to roost, it could be expected at any moment. Felix called up the location of the camera in question and put it up on the monitors.

Joss Possible looked up and scowled. "So that's where he's holdin' my Aggie. I am gonna fill him so full of rock salt and pepper corns outta Daddy's 'Old Bessy' he ain't gonna sit for a week!"

Ron Stoppable took a good close look at the map. He had never been into that area of Middleton, and wanted to know what exactly they were seeing. "Felix, can we go over to a satellite view? It might be a good idea to know what's out there." Generally, Team Possible had been fighting in the lair of any given villain. Damage could be done without endangering the public, as had occurred just before the wedding. Abandoned warehouses seemed to be the most popular sites, along with former military installations.

What appeared on screen was neither of those. These were older apartment buildings, housing those with limited means. The streets and alleys were tight, not much room for maneuvering, or margin for error is something went wrong. The only businesses down there were pawn shops, payday loan stores and the occasional convenience store. By the looks of things, Riveras had the truck he was using backed up into a space behind one of the apartment buildings, and had used a rear door for entrance.

Kim studied the images as well, and recognized all of the same problems. She closed her eyes for a few moments and thought about the sitch, and the obstacles. A simple rescue was out of the question. There were just too many places for Riveras to run and hide. He would certainly spot an assault team right off. Then he could disappear in any number of directions. No, they needed him to come out at a place of their choosing.

As all of this was going on, one of the volunteers working at a console jumped from her seat. The young blonde girl crossed the hall and leaned in to beckon to Felix, who invited her over to see ask what the commotion was. Amy Rice had just received a hit from the site, and it wasn't a request for help. It was a demand for attention. Felix put his fingers to work, and soon a video message was being played on the large monitor at the end of the room.

The aerial map that everyone had been looking at was replaced by an image of Antonio Riveras. He was backed by a dirty wall that might once have been beige. All that could be seen were his head and shoulders.

"Greetings Team Possible. As you have guessed by now, I have your good friend, Mr. Wade Load to keep me company here. I'm certain that you are trying to figure out where "here" is, but without him, I'm willing to wager it won't be so easy." The dark man moved to one side, to reveal Wade strapped into a tall, very solid chair. He was gagged, but the glazed look on his face indicated that he had been drugged quite severely. Riveras stepped back in front of the lens. "As you can see, he isn't in a very talkative mood right now. He will be able to talk in a few hours, however, but only if you do as I say."

A standard map of the Tri-city area appeared on the monitor. "Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable and Sarah Go will drive to the bus depot in the center of town. You will go to the desk and get the keys to the rental car which will be waiting for you in Mr. Stoppable's name." The map then showed a circle around a wooded area in Lowerton. "This is where I will give you your friend. You will put him into the car and then come with me. Any tricks on your part will result in Mr. Load's death. Any police intervention will result in his death. You have two hours from when you receive this message to meet me at the rendezvous point."

Pandemonium ensued in the communications hub. The volunteers were outraged and frightened. In the conference room Joss, Felix and Monique were madder than wet hens. Ron looked around at the chaos and closed his eyes for a moment. "Everybody! Hush up!"

Silence reigned. It wasn't very often that Ron Stoppable raised his voice, but he certainly had the lung capacity to be heard when he wanted to. Now he was going to take charge of the situation and step up again. A crisis seemed to have that effect on him. "We don't have a lot of time here. Given the time line that Riveras has given us to respond, I'd say we have to move quickly to keep things in our control."

Sarah looked at him from across the table. "What exactly did you have in mind? You've seen the lay of the land. There are just too many places he could go. We can't get in without possibly being seen and then he could do anything to Wade. The kid is tough, but he's not indestructible like Kimmie over here."

Kim reached over as if to swat her friend on the back of the head.

"Well, let's take advantage of his current residence. What is the one thing that will draw a crowd down there other than a police raid?" Ron's question was met with silence. "I suggest a couple of carefully place smoke bombs and somebody pulling the fire alarm. Riveras panics and heads for the first escape hole, his truck. He has to drag Wade along, or he has no leverage against us."

"Isn't he going to be watching for us to get to the rental car first?" Kim was positive there was a part to this plan she wasn't going to like. "I know we cut off his organization here almost four years ago, but he could simply have hired an innocent person to watch the counter."

"Ah, but we are going to go pick up the car. After all, we need time to get everyone else into place."

XX

Antonio Riveras was just checking his weapons one last time before getting his hostage packed up. He fully intended to watch Team Possible put him into the car. As he thought about it, he picked up the detonator he had prepared in advance. As soon as the red head and her friends were doped up and in the back of the van, he was going to leave a smoldering heap for the forensics teams to comb through. He relished the thought of Jocelyn Possible's face as she was told what had happened.

A cell phone on the table rang. He picked it up and grunted. "Yes?" There was a tiny whisper of noise from the device. "They have left without examining the trunk?" Another whisper. "Excellent, thank you. I wouldn't want to spoil the late wedding present surprise. " He closed the phone and put it into a pocket. "I'll be back for you in a moment." he told the still drugged young man strapped to the chair. Things were going just as planned. In a matter of hours, Team Possible was going to pay for every moment he had lost, every drug shipment that had not gone out to the United States.

As he was picking up the bag of implements that he was going to enjoy using so much, there was an insistent beeping from the apartment below his feet. The smoke alarm was even louder when he opened the door. Judging from the smoke in the hall, the source was closer than he was comfortable with.

Riveras dropped the bag and shoved the door open even wider. Grabbing a large knife from the sack and sticking it in the back of his belt, he heaved Wade over his shoulders and started out into the now thickening air of the hallway. The back stairs were no more than a few yards from the door. Fighting with the dead weight of the young man he was planning to use as bait, he lumbered down the stairs and out a fire door to the alley. 'I have to get him out of here before the fire department comes!' Riveras thought to himself.

As he dumped the unconscious form into the back of his get away vehicle, he could already see a crowd beginning to form at the front of the building, on the opposite side of the street. With luck, the fire would be enough to distract them and keep anyone from noticing the delivery van, much less getting a description of its driver. What he failed to notice were three unusual shadows further in the alley. One had the cowl of her suit pulled over her oriental features. The other two were youths, dressed in dark gray cargo pants, long sleeved shirts and sturdy black (though a certain red head insisted they were "onyx") boots.

Riveras got behind the wheel and maneuvered the van into the alley. As he did so, the three shadows detached themselves from the walls, and followed slowly, so that they would not attract attention in the rear view mirrors.

As he entered the alley, he passed by a window sill. A tiny purple man leaped from his perch and landed almost noiselessly on the top of the truck. Mego crawled over the surface and grabbed the small antenna, so that he would not be shaken loose in what was going to follow, if everything when according to plan.

As the nose of the van came out of the alley, a large blue shape cut in front of it. Hego merely put a hand on the hood, and instantly it came to a stop. Riveras tried flooring the accelerator, but the rear wheels simply spun in place, creating a smoke screen, which worked in favor of the three people who were continuing to follow. It also concealed another young woman, dressed in a similar fashion to Ron Garvin and Leanne Barton. She was lowering herself from the roof of the building that Riveras had been using as his hiding place.

Joss Possible lit upon the ground behind the loudly revving van. With the help of Yori, she opened the back doors a crack, making sure that the driver could not see. The two women pulled Wade from the floor, and put him against an alley wall, where Ron and Lea took his arms and dragged him back away from the smoldering tires. They climbed in and sat on the floor, grateful for the closed panel between themselves and the driver's compartment.

Mego watched the doors shut quietly and waved to his older brother. Hego made a great show of slipping backwards, and let his grip go. The van bolted out of the alley, slewed out onto the street and took off to the west. A large portion of the crowd across the street disappeared, and a two nearly identical young men sauntered over to join their oldest sibling. The rest of the youngsters watched as Tim Possible exited the building in a gas mask, carrying the smoke bombs he had detonated. Jim met him with a canister, and they disposed of the means of deception. Now it was up to Kim, Ron and Sarah (a.k.a Shego) to take the plan to its conclusion.

XX

Riveras wasted almost half an hour shaking a tail that was never there. He looped all around the outskirts of Middleton before finally making his way to the rendezvous point. Bumping along the old dirt road, he thought of places he could replace the abandoned torture tools. Certainly the drugs he would force Team Possible to take would render them helpless long enough for him to make a "shopping trip". With each jolt of the van, his grin widened, his teeth looking more and more like those of a wild cat, waiting to tear into an unwary prey.

Rounding one last curve, he came to a clearing in the woods. There, just as he had told them, sat Ronald Stoppable and his wife, and behind them, in the rear seat, was Sarah Go. Her dark plait swung behind her as she turned to watch him approach. They remained in the car, offering not even a token of defense or offense. This confused Riveras for a moment, and the smile left his face. As he braked to a halt, swinging so that the right side of the van faced them, they finally climbed out, but made no effort to approach him. Ron, in particular, leaned against the rental car as if he were waiting for an old buddy.

The former drug lord got out slowly and made his way to the back of the van, wondering why they made no move. Opening the door, he kept his eyes on the trio, something in the back of his mind telling him that something was wrong. He reached in to where Wade Load should have been lying on the floor. What he got instead was the boot of Jocelyn Possible stamping down on his fingers.

"Missing somethin' ya dirty scum ball?" She lifted her foot and he jumped back several feet, looking into the angry face, behind which was a black clad ninja, bemusement showing in her eyes.

Riveras scrambled for his pocket and pulled out the detonator he had kept with him. He held it over his head, so that everyone could see it. "I don't know how you got the kid, but you have just pulled your last trick!" Before he could push the button, the device was plucked from his waving hand. Looking up, he saw Mego waggling his fingers, holding the detonator in his other hand, far beyond his reach.

"Thanks. Kim was wondering how you were going to play dirty. It's so much easier when you villains are predictable." He merely continued to grin at the man below him.

At that moment, Hego stepped out of the woods. While Riveras had been going in circles around Middleton, he and the Wegos had driven directly to the site. The multi-hued van they used was carefully hidden behind a screen of shrubs. Wes and William stepped out of opposite sides of the clearing, and started duplicating themselves. In the blink of an eye, there was a wide ring of young men, shoulder to shoulder.

"No way!", Riveras shouted. "I'm not fighting all of you."

Mego looked down at the now frightened man. "Not all of us, just him." He pointed at Ron, who was stepping into the center of the living arena. "If you can get past him, you walk. None of us will follow." He sat on the roof of the van, like a spectator at the gladiator contests of ancient Rome.

Riveras walked out into the open, looking for either an opportunity to bolt or the chance at a sneak attack. Finding neither, he warily approached the young blond man. His eyes darted around him, but never strayed too far. Experience as a boy had taught him that you had to fight from the center and work your way out. If he could beat Stoppable, he would at least have another hostage. Taking deep breaths he took his time, sizing up his opponent.

Yori and Joss left the van and went to stand next to Kim and Sarah by the rental car. Hego had already searched it and found the bomb that was intended to create Wade's funeral pyre. Removing the primer, he had crushed it as if it were made of balsa wood.

Riveras lunged at Ron, reaching for his throat. The younger man simply stepped to his left, and stuck out a foot. Riveras tripped and fell on his face, sputtering in the dust. He quickly got to his feet and brought his fists up. He circled Ron, and lunged again, this time with a hay maker to the jaw. It landed, but only marginally, as the target weaved back.

As the fist grazed his chin, Ron grabbed it, pulled, and tossed his attacker halfway to the rental car. His gaze was calm, directed, unemotional, and turning blue! When he looked up from the ground, Riveras saw those eyes and decided that there was only one way out now. He scuttled backwards on his hands and feet, looking as frightened as a rabbit staring at a hungry wolf.

Suddenly, he was on his feet. He ran away from the menacing form of Ron Stoppable. He raced toward Kim Possible, and drew the knife that had been secreted at the small of his back. Just as he was raising the knife to plunge it into her gravid belly, a delicate, green tinted hand attached to an arm dressed in black with green piping reached over from Kim's left in a blur and intercepted his wrist. The tip of the blade stopped less than an inch from its target.

"Foul, Riveras. You fight Ron-san. And the weapon is entirely wrong.", Yori said from Kim's other side. Reaching over her shoulder with her right hand, she drew the katana that was strapped to her back. She threw it overhand, and it stuck into the ground eight feet from where they stood. "If you really want to fight with a blade, you may use mine." Sarah plucked the blade from his numbed hand and passed it to Kim. When she let go, Riveras backed away, holding his wrist.

He turned and once again faced the blond man. He had stopped some distance away, and made no move toward the sword, sticking up between them. Looking back at the woman who had thwarted this last attack on Kim Possible, he snarled. Stalking to the weapon, he grabbed the hilt and jerked it out of the ground. Hefting the unfamiliar piece, he marched toward the unarmed man who awaited him, only to find that Ron was now reaching for a sword that hovered in the air before him.

Not wanting to let his opponent have an advantage, he attacked swiftly, hoping to cut him down before he could prepare. A blur of blue light whirled before him, and the tip of the Lotus Blade was at his throat before he could take another step. Riveras' eyes widened in surprise, not sure of what he had just seen.

Ron closed the distance between them, letting the tip slide along the man's neck, then the edge until he was standing beside him. Casually, he reached up and took the katana away from his enemy, and held it loosely in his left hand. It replaced the blade over his carotid artery, under his left ear.

"Kim, I think the honor should be yours, as the leader of Team Possible."

His wife stepped forward and took the Lotus Blade as it was offered to her. She looked into the dark eyes of the man that had tried to capture her family. The man that had taken her friend Wade Load. The man that had attempted to take the lives of her husband and unborn child. The man she had every reason to kill. Her grip on the hilt of the sword tightened until her knuckles were white.

The sound of sirens became noticeable. Still, Kim waited.

The ring of Wegos disappeared, becoming two young men in red once more. They walked to the center of the clearing along with everyone else. A smaller circle formed as the squad car and an ambulance pulled up and Sergeant Hobble got out accompanied by the Lowerton officer who had been driving.

Everyone held their breath.

Kim raised the weapon to one side, and struck.

With her other hand, closed tightly into an equally white knuckled fist. The blow dropped the prisoner with a resounding clap like thunder. "And that is how a crime lord falls, not with a gunshot, but the hand of justice."


End file.
